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n CRANBERRY MARKETING COMMITTEE PUSHES YEAR-ROUND SALES
In 2017, the Cranberry Marketing Committee (CMC) built on previous successes at retail by partnering with four major supermarkets: Big Y, Jewel-Osco, ShopRite and Pyramid Foods to promote cranberry sales year-round.
This effort started in the summer, which isn’t the off-season for cranberries anymore, according to the group.
Following a successful 2014 pilot that led to increased sales, the CMC partnered with two supermarkets during the summer of 2017: Big Y and Jewel-Osco to spread cranberry awareness and promote the superfruit. These partnerships resulted in:
Big Y: A 206-percent sales increase for one cranberry brand and a 285-percent sales increase for another, compared to the average sales in the weeks before. Jewel-Osco: Cranberries saw a 138-percent dollar sales increase and 173-percent sales unit increase compared to the previous year.
During peak fresh cranberry season in the fall, the CMC partnered with Big Y and ShopRite to expand the ways shoppers use fresh cranberries through new recipes and highlighting health messaging. The results showed:
Big Y: A 267-percent lift in movement of fresh cranberries.
ShopRite: Fresh cranberry sales lifted 3.28 percent compared to 2016.
Finally, for the third year in a row, the CMC promoted its Cranberry Friendsgiving Photo Contest, encouraging Millennials to buy more cranberries and share their cran-
berry creations on social media.
The CMC teamed up with Pyramid Foods to reach Millennial shoppers timed to
the Friendsgiving holiday season. The Pyramid Foods promotion produced:
• A 23-percent sales increase in dried cranberries and 10-percent sales increase in fresh cranberries. pb
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crafting ideas.”
Fairchild of Bridges Produce says for more
savory ideas, suggest to shoppers that cran- berries can be paired with hard squash (which is also at peak season during the fall) or use cranberries in a sauce for pork or other meats.
“And don’t forget fun, seasonal cocktails,” she adds.
Janice Honigberg, president of Sun Belle Inc., Schiller Park, IL, says cranberries also are good in chicken and meat casseroles, and are excellent in salads, on cakes and in smoothies.
HOP ON THE TRAIL
Dried cranberries are a trail mix staple, and retailers can promote them to shoppers to be combined with ingredients such as almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, aked coconut and chocolate chips to make a delicious, portable trail mix, says Hogan.
Wilson of the Cranberry Network says sweet and dried cranberries paired with choc- olate-covered cranberries, cashews, almonds and any other preferred nuts make a fabulous trail mix that consumers should love.
For added crunch, Steve Warnert of Patience Fruit & Co. recommends promoting
snack mix ingredients, including some of the avorful “pu ed” snacks such as chickpeas, quinoa or edamame. “We recommend a combination of sweet and salty for the best taste experience,” says Warnert.
DRIED CRANBERRY OPTIONS
Dried cranberries have enjoyed a very strong year-round market and are promot- able regardless of season, says Ben Johnson, president of Bridges Produce Inc.
Dried cranberries are an especially good choice for cross-merchandising next to salad xings, squash and seasonal greens, says Warnert. New on the market are organic “whole and juicy” dried cranberries that are jumbo in size, he says.
“ ese berries are showstoppers compared to standard dried cranberries that deliver little other than the ‘skin’ of the berry after the juice has pressed out,” says Warnert.
Warnert says Patience Fruit & Co. o ers “demo kits” to show o its organic “whole” dried berries. “Consumers need to see and taste the di erence from what they’ve been eating for the past 50 years,” he says.
Cassi Shindelbower, retail marketing director for Fresh Gourmet Co., Commerce