Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/1173472
Produce Show Daily 1 5 Thursday, October 17, 2019 Avocados From Mexico Launches Educational Campaign Ready to revolutionize the way con- sumers shop? Avocados From Mexico is ready when you are. There's no doubt consumers love their avocados, and according to a study funded by Avocados From Mexico (AFM), 73 percent of shoppers would be more likely to buy more avo- cados if they had more avocado infor- mation and knowledge, specifically education related. According to an AFM proprietary study, the marketing group has identified two main purchase barriers to the con- sumption of avocados; ripening and pre- serving followed by picking and serving. AFM is aware that changing behavior through education will be important to continue driving opportunity with avoca- do buyers and moving them up the pur- chase funnel. "In our conversations with con- sumers, we learned how much they value education," said Stephanie Bazan, Vice President of Trade and Market Development for Avocados From Mexico. "Emotions are especially high throughout the avocado buying experi- ence and perception of wasted fruit can be frustrating for them, lessening the value of their purchase while causing hesitation of future purchases." AFM is overcoming those barriers and revolu- tionizing the way consumers shop with a first-of-its-kind educa- tional campaign. The guidelines, which are outlined in the new "Avocados From Mexico Education Playbook," offer importers and retailers valuable new insights for positioning and strategy. AFM has also rolled out an exciting consumer-facing educational initiative: Introducing "Ready When You're Ready," a new messaging platform designed to help shoppers feel confident that their avocados are ready when they need them to be. It provides shoppers with simple cues, tips and techniques to build their chances of success and miti- gate wasted fruit. Consumers are educated on how to pick the right fruit for their needs, how to control the ripening process, how to keep it fresh to enjoy later and how to han- dle it easily with no mess – all of which helps the consumer get the most out of every avo- cado, enhancing their percep- tions of quality and value. The result? AFM will guide and give confidence to consumers, shop- pers, retailers, operators and distribu- tors through consistent educational messaging and resources that drive the value of its amazing, always-in-season little fruit. For more information, visit AFM at booth #1049 or go to www.avoreadiness.com. Sustainable Packaging from Mucci Farms Mucci Farms is a vertically integrated greenhouse grower, packer, shipper and marketer of fresh fruits and vegetables. Located in Kingsville, Ontario, the com- pany owns and operates more than 250 acres of tomato, pepper, cucumber, let- tuce and strawberry greenhouses, with a global network of over 1,500 acres. In addition to a warehouse and distribution facility in San Antonio, Texas, its U.S. headquarters is in Huron, Ohio, which currently has a 25-acre greenhouse with 50 additional acres to be built in two remaining phases. Committed to automation and tech- nology, Mucci Farms has a significant amount of acreage under grow lights with an aggressive expansion plan. "The stan- dard growing season for greenhouse growers in cold climate regions is typi- cally in the 8-9 month range yearly. Grow lights allow us to extend that sea- son to 12 months," says Joe Spano, Vice President of Sales & Marketing. "We continue to expand our grow light acreage and encourage our grower part- ners to do the same. Our goal is to have all of our high-tech glass facilities under lights in the near future." This year at the PMA's Fresh Summit Conference & Expo, Mucci Farms is highlighting its response to the ongoing market demand to reduce plastic with its brand new Simple Snack Series. Part of its sustainability initiative known as GreenERhouse, SIM- PLE is an acronym for Sustainable Innovation Made Purposely for our Living Environment. "Simple Snack, Simple Pack," says Emily Murracas, Director of Marketing. "It's a series of cardboard containers with 100 percent recyclable lidding film. Not only is the package sustainable, we have lots of real estate for branding and educational info including a QR code that leads people to our website where they can learn more about our sustainability program." In addition to sustainable packaging, the company is also placing an impor- tance on consumer education. "With so much information and a multitude of opinions partic- ularly online, there's a lot of inaccurate infor- mation in the public domain regarding packaging, so another focus for us will be to leverage our media channels to get the right information out there," says Fernanda Albuquerque, New Product Development Manager. Currently in the soft launch stage, the Simple Snack series will have an ini- tial product offering of current popular Mucci Farms snacking items, including Sun Drops™ Grape Tomatoes, Blended Flavours™ snacking tomatoes and Sweet to the Point™ Pointed Mini Peppers. Visit Mucci Farms at booth #837. Sunions Returning This Fall to Onions 52 An interview with Shawn Hartley, Owner/Vice President of Sales, Onions 52. PSD: What is the Sunions ® story? SH: Sunions are America's first tearless and sweet onion. One farmer spent his entire career developing the Sunions seed through all-natural crossbreeding tech- niques by breeding milder onion seeds together every growing season. Two decades later, the Sunion seed was born. PSD: What do Sunions taste like, and how do you ensure quality? SH: Sunions are a sweet onion, with a crisp, crunchy texture like an apple. We follow a tightly controlled brand process. Sunions do not have a specific release date, but instead are harvested and triple- tested for tearlessness and flavor. Once they reach a peak level of tearlessness and sweetness, they are ready to ship to stores. PSD: What is Onions 52 doing to ensure product traceability and safe working conditions for workers in your fields? SH: Sunions and organic Sunions are grown in Washington state, where our farms are certified by the Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) and exceed all Primus food safety standards. For a product to become EFI-certified, it must meet over 300 requirements for providing a safe and healthy work environment for all field workers. Onions 52 organic Sunions are USDA Certified Organic by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The EFI- Certified emblem can be added on all packaging and marketing efforts to consumers. Bulk Sunions also have their own PLU sticker with a printed GS1 databar that identifies Onions 52 as the grower/ship- per of the product for every store loca- tion. If there is a food safety emergency, every Sunion onion can be scanned and identified, tracing it back to our company and the shed where it was packed. We even offer a compostable PLU sticker upon request, and recyclable consumer bags for increased sustainability efforts. PSD: What marketing tools are you using to promote organic Sunions? SH: Onions 52 works with Golden Sun Marketing on all Sunions marketing efforts, in-store merchandising, signage, geo-targeted digital ads, display contests, social media marketing and all things Sunions. We are finding that influencers and digital media are driving consumer trends, and Sunions have gone viral throughout the digital space. Sunions have been mentioned in publica- tions such as Elite Daily, Bustle, Delish, Today, New York Post and Food & Wine, to name a few. Onions 52 is the nation's leading grower-shipper of fresh onions. Fifty-two weeks a year our trucks are rolling with red, yellow, white, sweet, organic, and America's first tearless and sweet Sunions. Visit Onions 52 at booth #743. For more information, go to www.onions52.com, call 801.773.0630 or email falon@onions52.com. Aquamin: Clean Label Marine Minerals Aquamin is a marine plant multi-mineral complex, derived from red seaweed Lithothamnion sp. It's sustainably har- vested from the pristine waters off of Iceland and is used extensively in fortifi- cation of foods and nutraceutical applica- tions. Aquamin is supplied in several grades depending on end food or supple- ment application. Aquamin is 100 percent plant- derived, which makes it suitable for clean-label, allergen-free formulations. Rich in calcium and magnesium, it pos- sesses 72 trace minerals and has a unique three-dimensional structure that provides novel bioactivities when compared with other forms of calcium and mineral com- plexes. Distinctive physical properties from its plant origin, coupled with processing technology, optimized inclusion systems and application development have allowed Aquamin to be successfully included in foods, beverages and dietary supple- ment formulations. Marigot, the manufacturer of Aquamin, is clear about the need for its inclusion in foods. With increased consumer awareness for clean label, plant-based ingredients mar- ket opportunities have never been higher. Marigot continuously adds value and innovates with this unique ingredient through extensive research, product application stud- ies, enhancing not only the compa- ny's knowledge but ultimately that of its customers. For more information, call 888.441.4233 or go to www.stauberusa.com.