By Michael Schadler, Washington Apple Commission
Before I joined the Washington Apple Commission two years ago, I had no idea that the Dominican Republic was an important market for the Washington apple industry.
It surprises a lot of people to learn that this relatively small Caribbean nation (population 11.5 million) is the sixth largest export market for Washington’s apple growers. During the 2025–26 shipping season, we shipped about the same number of apples to the Dominican Republic as we did to India (population 1.48 billion).
It’s more commonly known that the Dominican Republic is crazy for baseball. So, it wasn’t a surprise to us when WAC’s Dominican marketing team proposed a Washington apple promotion with one of the country’s professional baseball teams, ahead of the 2025–26 shipping season. (WAC conducts marketing efforts in the Dominican Republic each year, funded with a mix of grower assessments and U.S. Department of Agriculture grant funding.)
While we liked the idea of a Dominican baseball promotion, it sparked a bigger idea. Being a lifelong Seattle Mariners fan, I knew that the Mariners’ All-Star center fielder, Julio Rodriguez, was Dominican.
“What if we could get an endorsement deal with Julio?” I asked, only partly serious. Our Dominican colleagues, however, took it very seriously and immediately thought Julio would be a perfect fit given his ties to the Dominican Republic and Washington.
A cold call to the Mariners eventually led us to Julio’s marketing agent in Florida. Our pitch was definitely out of left field, but we quickly found that the Washington Apple brand — focusing on healthy eating for active lifestyles — was a great fit for Julio’s own brand. Shortly after the end of the 2025 baseball season, WAC came to an agreement with Julio for a partnership exclusive to the Dominican market.
The campaign launched in January 2026, which coincided perfectly with an event that Julio’s charitable foundation was sponsoring in his hometown of Loma de Cabrera, just east of the Dominican border with Haiti. Julio uses the event each year to give back to his hometown, which in 2026 included the inauguration of a fully renovated community baseball field.
WAC became a sponsor of the event alongside brands such as Adidas and Oakley. We invited a few of our Dominican social media influencers along, which provided great exposure for Washington apples, in addition to coverage from television and print media that were present at the event. And, of course, we handed out thousands of apples during the two days.
The event in Julio’s hometown was a great kickoff to a comprehensive marketing campaign that ran through the end of June, mostly centered in the capital city of Santo Domingo. The campaign involved point-of-sale marketing and advertising at major Dominican supermarkets, plus billboards and other traditional ads around Santo Domingo, an array of digital ads and social media marketing.
The multilayered campaign allowed WAC to reach consumers at various touchpoints throughout the season, generating millions of impressions for Washington apples alongside one of the country’s most famous baseball stars.
Qualitatively the campaign was a huge success, but what about quantitatively? Marketing campaigns aren’t necessarily about immediate return on investment. They are about consumer education and building awareness; creating trial, preference and loyalty over a longer term. But the Julio campaign appears to have contributed to strong Dominican sales for Washington apples.
During the 2025–26 season, the state’s apple exports to the Dominican Republic increased 12 percent, to 1.3 million 40-pound equivalent boxes. While 12 percent may not sound that big, it must be viewed within the context of Washington’s total crop, which only increased by 1 percent. It must also be compared with all other export markets, which saw shipments decrease by 2 percent. Most importantly, the 12 percent increase in exports to the Dominican Republic came despite meaningfully higher FOB prices in 2025–26, which suggests the campaign helped maintain sales in a market that is otherwise highly sensitive to price.
The Julio Rodrigurez campaign helped increase apple consumption in an important market for Washington while elevating our brand. It was a great partnership, which we hope to continue in the years to come. •
Michael Schadler is a Mariners’ fan and the president of the Washington Apple Commission. He can be reached by email at: michael.schadler@waaple.org.
