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healthy product portfolio, which includes dried apricots, dried plums, dates, dried ap- ples, dried peaches and dried figs, which have similar nutritional values as their fresh fruit counterparts. Package sizes range from sin- gle-serve boxes for portion-control snacks to resealable zipper bags that encourage healthy snacking both at home and on-the-go.
“Sun-Maid raisins and dried fruits are commonly cross-promoted by retailers with other snacks such as nuts and salads, which helps to increase consumer basket size,” ex- plains Tamble. His company partners with many retailers in produce departments to successfully promote Sun-Maid raisins and dried fruit as healthy impulse snacks.
“Many produce retailers have health-fo- cused initiatives, and Sun-Maid is often a key partner in these programs,” he adds. “Retailers frequently use Sun-Maid shipper and pallet displays to help promote these initiatives.”
According to Tamble, more than 20 per- cent of total dried fruit category dollars are generated from displays. One of the easiest ways for retailers to encourage dried fruit purchases, he says, is to get it up on display. “As health and wellness become more of a fo- cus for many adults and children, dried fruit provides them with a snacking option that makes them feel good about their snacking choices.”
His company offers many different types of raisins and dried fruit shipper and pallet displays to generate impulse purchases. These displays are pre-filled and assembled when delivered to retailers. The displays provide an easy method for retailers to drive sales and increase basket size, with minimal labor costs.
The company also helps raise consumer awareness and sales by providing abundant recipe ideas, including dishes such as Cu- ban Rice, Beans and Raisins, Banana French Toast, Fruit Gallette, Raisin Serrano Que- sadillas, breakfast bars, Lemon and Date Chicken Salad and classic raisin oatmeal cookies.
Raisins represent the largest segment of the dried-fruit category, points out Tamble, “and raisins are very profitable when mer- chandised in the produce section. There is very little, or almost no, shrink when the dried fruit category is located in the produce department.”
Raisins are one of the healthiest foods available in stores today, with no added sugar and more than 40 items as part of its con- sumer product portfolio.
The overall dried fruit category continues to show positive trends year over year, includ-
ing raisins. As more and more consumers are being made aware of the health benefits, the future looks increasingly bright for the cate- gory. The No. 1 selling item in the total dried fruit category is the Sun-Maid raisin canis- ters. Other popular sizes include six-packs, 10-ounce stand-up bags and 12-ounce boxes.
Today’s health-oriented consumer is look- ing for “simple, real food, and as a result the organic segment of the dried fruit category continues to grow,” says Tamble. “The raisin segment is the most popular, and the fast-
est-growing segment of organic dried fruit.” Tamble says there are a number of ways to get the word out to consumers. They include: • Merchandising. He says this is key. “High-profile displays on raisins throughout
the year stimulates incremental sales.”
• Highlight seasonal usage. “There are numerous raisin recipes to generate increased usage,” says Tamble. “Healthy snacking is here to stay, and raisins are a big part of this trend. Raisins are perfect for summer get-togethers, as well as traditional recipes.” pb
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