To All Nonprofit Groups:

By selling fruit, your organization can make $2,100.00 to $40,000.00 profit by December 15, 2009,  Just in time for Christmas

A group of 100 people selling an average of 40 boxes each can make a profit of $40,000.00

A group of 8 people selling an average of 40 boxes each can make a profit of $2,240.00

Thank you for requesting information on our fruit fundraising program.  We are looking forward to working with you.  You can print this page to show to your group.  In order to receive a price quote from us, you will need to receive an email, fax or letter from us with pricing specific to your geographic area.

If you would like this information mailed or emailed to you, please fill in the form on this page or call me and I will mail a packet to you.

 I would like the opportunity to talk with you about the benefits of a fruit fundraiser. Please feel free to call me at your convenience at 800-277-5372. 

Over the past 25 years we have helped hundreds of nonprofit groups earn as much as $40,000.00 with one fruit fundraiser.  Our program is a proven method to raise large amounts of money.

After you look over this information, please call or email us if you have questions.  When you are ready to get started, let us know and we can ship you quantities of sales materials for your group. All of our sales materials are shipped to you free of charge if you commit to a sale with us. 

Here are 5 reasons why fruit fundraisers continue to be the most effective of all high profit fundraisers:

1. Almost everyone eats fruit on a daily basis.  It is part of their existing grocery budget.

2. Fruit is healthy and is considered a requirement for a healthy diet by most experts.

3. Fruit is an enjoyable refreshing treat that appeals to almost everyone.

4. Those who buy fruit appreciate your service and will look forward to buying from you year after year.  Many groups have sold fruit for over 25 years.  There is no better fundraiser for repeat business.

5. Most customers will be willing to buy from you for delivery in December, 2009 and in March, 2010, if you choose to do both sales.

Why is a fruit sale so profitable at reasonable prices?

Because fruit is perishable, grocery stores have to charge a large percentage of profit to cover spoilage. This gives you the opportunity to make a very good profit margin and still be competitive.  We have a program that minimizes your risk.  Because you are preselling the fruit, you will deliver it quickly to your customers when it arrives, minimizing the spoilage.  We also reimburse you for any spoilage reported to us.  (See below for the details) 

Our program allows you to make at least $2,100.00 profit on an order of 300 boxes of fruit.  A sale of 500 boxes (1/4 truckload) gives you a net profit of at least $4,000.00.  A full truckload of fruit; 2,000 boxes gives you a profit of at least $20,000.00. 

We ship our fruit from Edinburg, TX and Vero Beach, FL where some of the best quality red grapefruit and navel oranges in the world are grown.  We ship only top grade quality fruit from top quality growers.  We also ship on the same delivery truck apples from Washington State and navel oranges from California. 

Navel oranges, red grapefruit, tangelos and all varieties of apples are very sweet and juicy in December just in time for the Christmas Holiday! 

Schedules and Deadlines for December 2009 Delivery.  Other schedules for delivery from Thanksgiving through Easter can be arranged to meet your needs if you sell more than 500 boxes (1/4  truckload). We will work with you to arrange a sale on any date you choose.  We have two delivery weeks per year that are recommended if you order less than 500 – 20 pound boxes.

1. Call Rick or Laurie Stepp at (800) 277-5372 or email us at Rick@800apples2.com for sales materials, work sheets and pricing confirmation by Monday October 19, 2009.

2. Make up sales kits for each salesperson by Friday October 30th.  Each kit should include two tally sheets and one brochure, with your selling prices listed on the brochures and on the tally sheets.  You can use our tally sheet document on the CD that we send you to print from your computer. Encourage your salespeople to put their brochures into a loose-leaf notebook protected by see through sheet protectors that are available at office supply stores.  The tally sheet can also be inserted in the notebook.

3. Kick off Sale no later than Monday November 2, 2009.

4. End Sale no later than Monday November 23, 2009 and total your orders.

5. FAX OR E-MAIL ORDER BY 10:00 PM central time November 23, 2009, the Monday before Thanksgiving.

6. Send payment to arrive to us by Saturday November 28, 2009.  You will receive up to a 3% discount for paying in advance.  See your price quote for details.

7. Your fruit will arrive between December 9 and December 15, 2009.

Following are the terms, delivered cost, suggested price and profit for your fruit fundraiser.  In order to receive these prices, you must confirm to us by email or phone no later than Monday November 23, 2009 that you are conducting a fruit sale.  In order to receive this pricing, we must email, fax or mail you a confirmation of pricing specific to your group.  The prices listed below are good for most areas of the United States.  All fruit orders must be placed with us by email or fax and confirmed by us no later than 10:00 PM central time on Monday November 23, 2009.

Grocery stores sell quality navel oranges, grapefruit and apples at prices of .99 per pound to $2.49 per pound.  The prices we are suggesting that you sell at are approximately .99 to 1.25 per pound to your customers in the 20-pound box and approximately .89 to .99 per pound in the 40-pound box. Your fruit prices will be competitive.

Fruit prices are good for shipment from November 16, 2009 to December 20, 2009.  Prices may be lower on the day that you submit your order.  These fruit prices are given so that you can pre-sell fruit.  If market prices are lower, we will make the adjustment at that time, resulting in more profit to your group.  In order to receive prices in this offer, you must offer red grapefruit and navel oranges to your customers.  All other items are optional.

Minimum Order:  No orders for less than 100 - 20-pound equivalents (2,000 pounds or more) of fruit will be accepted or shipped.  Rising fuel costs have resulted in higher freight costs.  Because of this, we have a minimum order policy.  If you fall short of the 100 – 20 pound equivalents, you may want to order extra fruit and sell it after it arrives.  We do not recommend this, but this is an option you have rather than canceling your sale. 

The following Quantity Discounts will be given per box based on the total quantity of fruit delivered.   Discounts are based on the quantity delivered to each separate delivery location on each separate delivery truck:

Prices quoted also include full credit to your invoice for all actual spoilage reported to us by fax, phone or email within 7 days of your delivery date.  If total spoilage exceeds 3% of any given item, it must be reported within 48 hours.  This makes it possible for us to make a claim with the shipper of the fruit.  Any major problems (10% spoilage or damage of any given item) must be reported to us before accepting the fruit delivery. If any item shipped on the truck is short or damaged, you must note it on the bill of lading before signing for the merchandise and notify us within 48 hours.

Delivered cost, recommended selling prices and profit per box for 300 – 20 pound equivalents.  You can sell fruit at any price you choose.  These are the recommended prices;

Price to your customers for citrus is approximately .99 per pound for 20 pound boxes and .89/lb. for 40 pound boxes.

Price to your customers for apples: 1.25 per pound for 20 pound boxes and .99 per pound for 40 pound boxes as follows:

Gift Fruit Program

The brochure has a picture of our mixed gift box and gift basket.  The gift baskets are packed fresh by your group when the fruit arrives to you. Mixed gift boxes arrive to you already packed. All gift basket kits will be shipped to you before the fruit truck arrives.  In order to receive the gift baskets in time, you will need to place your order within the time frame that we are requesting.

People expect to pay more for gift baskets that are fresh, hand selected, hand packed and nicely packaged.  We will send you the worksheet for packing gift baskets after you have confirmed your sale with us.  Gift baskets are easy to pack.  The profit for your group is also higher.

Payment Terms:

Payment must arrive to us by cashier’s check, credit card or money order 7 days prior to your delivery date.  This may require collecting your money in advance from your customers. You will receive a 3% discount for paying on time, in advance by cashier’s check or money order.

You will be given a 1% discount for paying on time, in advance by credit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover Card.

After placing your order with us, we will calculate your bill and let you know the total.  You can then express mail the cashier’s check or money order.  We will reimburse you for express mail charges from your local post office.

Paying in advance enables the fruit growers to give us their best quality at a competitive price, knowing they will receive prompt payment.    If you need credit terms, it can be arranged by submitting a credit application.  Credit will need to be approved four weeks in advance of your delivery date.

Please call us at 800-277-5372 if you need to make credit arrangements and we will email or fax you a credit application.  Our credit terms if approved are:  Net 21 days from delivery date.  Payments not received by our office within 30 days of delivery will be assessed a 1% service charge per 30 days until payment is received.

Fruit prices quoted are based on crop conditions remaining favorable.  In the event of a natural disaster such as a freeze, fuel shortage or a hurricane, prices or supplies are not guaranteed.  Weights are approximate.  Citrus is sold by volume; it is not sold by weight.  (1/2 carton approximately 20 lbs, Standard Carton approximately 40 lbs.)

LATE ORDERS - Please note the following important information

 Each year we get late orders that are past the deadline.  We always do our best to accommodate late orders if there is still time to do so.  However, the Washington apples must be shipped to Texas and Florida in order to make the connection with the citrus trucks. 

We need the orders by these deadlines to schedule harvesting, packing, shipping, and transportation for the fruit.  Late orders will be considered based on fruit availability and extra space on the delivery trucks.  If you submit your order after our deadline, a higher price than quoted may apply. 

“Just in Time” Arrivals – Please read this carefully

 The requested delivery time and day on your order form cannot be confirmed until we make arrangements with a trucking company to deliver the fruit as requested.  We will make every effort to give you the delivery date you request.  If you have not heard from the trucking company or us within 72 hours of your requested delivery, it is crucial that you call us for an update.

“Just in time” arrival is the goal we strive to achieve.  It is not possible for us to guarantee that the truck will come precisely on time since any number of things could happen to cause a delay.  We may also have to ship your order for arrival on an earlier date than you have requested.  The larger your order, the better we can accommodate your requested date and time of delivery. 

It is important for you to have a backup plan in place in the event that the truck comes earlier than requested, breaks down, encounters bad weather, an accident, etc. (See instructions to trucker on order form.)

In order to prevent your fruit sale from becoming an inconvenience to your volunteers, it is crucial that you establish a team captain calling system.  We suggest that you have no more than ten sales people per team.  Have team captains who are in charge of calling everyone on their team to update them on the arrival time of the truck.  Have each team captain establish a calling list of all team members well in advance of your delivery date.

Approximately three days before your scheduled fruit delivery we should know the delivery schedule.  At this time call us for your delivery time and activate your team captain calling system to inform team members of the scheduled delivery.  Tell them that unless they get a message regarding a potential delay, arrive to pick up their fruit approximately 1 to 2 hours after the scheduled delivery.  This will allow you time to have the unloading crew show up on time, unload the fruit, count it and prepare it for distribution.  Also, if the truck is delayed for some reason, there will be time to activate the calling system and inform your team members to come later.

We look forward to serving you this year.  Please feel free to call us at your convenience if you have questions. 

Sincerely Yours,

Rick Stepp and Laurie Stepp

Phone us toll free at: 800-277-5372 (1-800-apples-2)

Email: Rick@800apples2.com