Page 67 - January_2019

tropicals merchandising review Adding Tropicals To The Mix
Keys to keeping the category strong all year long.
NBY CHRIS AUMAN
ot long ago, most consumers thought of tropical fruits as bananas, pineapples and maybe coconuts. With shifting ethnic
demographics in the United States, mangos and papayas have gone mainstream, and thanks to more adventurous consumer palates, lychees, passion fruit and dragon fruit are gaining traction. Vegans recently have discov- ered jackfruit is a great meat-like substitute for pulled pork. ese trends present both oppor- tunities and challenges for produce executives looking to satisfy demand for tropicals.
TROPICAL CONSIDERATIONS
“Up until a few years ago stores didn’t really focus on tropical fruits,” says Robert Schueller, director of public relations for Melissa’s/World Variety Produce, Los Angeles. “ ey thought, ‘I don’t have Asian consumers so why would I have jackfruit, lychee and rambutans,’ or ‘I don’t have Latin clientele so why would I carry so many vari- eties of papayas, coconuts and mangos?’ Now,
we are seeing stores carrying these di erent varieties because they want to be considered a one-stop shop.”
As the category continues to grow, there are a few basic things retailers can do to keep tropicals selling year-round.
According to Dionysios Christou, vice pres- ident marketing, Del Monte Fresh Produce, based in Coral Gables, FL, “Tropical produce is typically those fresh items that grow within a narrow band north and south of the Equator.” Christou acknowledges, however, that this de - nition has expanded lately to include all exotic produce regardless of growing area.
“Retailers need to ensure that the prod- ucts selected do indeed fall under the trop-
Lychee Fruit
ical category,” she says. “Retailers should also consider product availability. It is important to leverage opportunities with products when they are available, since not all are obtainable year-round.”
To help retailers decide what tropical commodities to stock and promote, they need to think about their overall goal. According to Alex Jackson Berkley, sales manager, Frie- da’s Specialty Produce, Los Alamitos CA, retailers need to ask themselves, “Do they want to move volume; do they want to have a wide variety of specialties to inspire the shopper; do they want to focus on ve items and execute those really well?” Once produce executives have answered these questions
PHOTO COURTESY OF MELISSA’S PRODUCE
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