Los Alamitos, CA (June 2019) – Summer is all about grilling and, surprisingly, research shows that potatoes are the #2 favorite vegetable to grill after corn*. “When you combine that with the fact that 68% of shoppers want to add more vegetables to their summer tables**, it is a no brainer that shoppers would be looking for ways to grill & serve sweet potatoes, specifically Stokes Purple® Sweet potatoes. Their firmer texture and balanced sweetness make them the ideal potato for grilling and summer sides” says Cindy Sherman, Director of Marketing for Frieda’s Specialty Produce.
With this in mind, Frieda’s culinary experts collaborated to create grilling & picnic-friendly recipes inspired by Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and other summer favorites. “We wanted to take shopper favorites and put a grilling twist on them, just in time for summer”, says Sherman. “We had fun making summer time S’MORES more colorful by adding a schmear of purple sweet potato on the graham cracker, or cooked a Stokes Purple® Sweet potato right on the grill (wrapped in foil) as part of our exploration. Grilling these unique products develops richer, brighter flavors, making them a great addition to any summer BBQ”, says Sherman. The Frieda’s team also developed a vegan (no mayonnaise) Stokes Purple® sweet potato salad that is perfect for an outdoor picnic.
Call your Frieda’s account manager today for signage solutions and recipe cards that inspire your shopper’s summer gatherings!
*Category Partners, 2018
**C+R research, 2019
About Frieda’s Inc.
Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit and dragon fruit to Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.
Although I’ve never had serious or ongoing insomnia, there are definitely nights when I have a hard time going to sleep. Or I wake up at 1 or 2 a.m. and cannot go back to sleep. I have many friends who complain about the same thing.
So, when two of my coworkers got some insights on getting better sleep, I was very interested.
They had gone to see a healer. I don’t know what kind of healer, but I am guessing it was someone spiritual, homeopathic or something along those lines. Anyway, I was fascinated about what they shared with me.
As they were finishing their session, the healer turned to one of my coworkers and asked, “So, do you have problems sleeping?” She was caught off guard because she had not mentioned anything to him about her constant restlessness at night. She often complained that it was hard for her to get a good, solid night’s sleep.
He then asked her, “Do you have any crystals or books in your bedroom?” She nodded yes and pointed to the necklace that her boyfriend gave her. It contains a crystal. She never takes it off. Plus, her bedroom is filled with many full bookshelves and she has several crystals hanging on her walls and sitting on her nightstand.
The healer suggested she remove all crystals and books from her bedroom. He told her that the energy of the crystals and the words in the books were interrupting her sleep.
She wasn’t quite sure about all of this, but went home and removed all the crystals and books anyway. That very first night, she had one of the best, uninterrupted, full night of sleep she’d had in a long time. Later that week, she forgot to take off her crystal necklace, and guess what? She did not sleep very well that night.
As she told me all this, I found it interesting. Not very scientific, but interesting.
So, just for the heck of it, when I got home that night, I removed all the crystals from my bedroom, took the books off my nightstand and moved them into another room. Then I went to bed.
Seriously, I had one of the best night’s sleep! And I’ve noticed in the last few weeks that my sleep has continued to be more restful. I am also able to fall asleep quickly. Of course, when I go to bed with a lot on my mind from work, I occasionally wake up super early, but I figure that is my subconscious telling me to get to work early that day. I actually embrace that when it happens and don’t stay in bed. I get up and read, write or do work.
After I had experienced this crystal- and book-free sleep, I mentioned it to a couple friends who have insomnia issues. One friend is a recent widow and good, restful sleep has been a real issue. I suggested she try this new technique: Remove all crystals, books and photos of her spouse and family from her bedroom to see if her sleep would get better. I added the photos to the list, as it made sense to me that having your former spouse or family members staring at you all night might be equally disruptive to sleep.
I haven’t heard back from her yet, but I am hopeful that these changes help her.
If you have challenges with poor quality sleep and you’ve tried all the other normal suggestions (no coffee after noon, keeping your room cold, not using any devices an hour before you go to sleep), perhaps you might want to clear a few things from your bedroom.
I would love to hear if this allows you to have more restful sleep.
Sleep well!
Karen
Last week, I got to spend an hour touring one of the most dynamic and regenerative organic walnut farms in California. It’s in Winters, California, just outside Sacramento.
I was in the area for a meeting at the University of California, Davis, and my dear friend Craig McNamara invited me to come by to see his organic walnut ranch and Center for Land-Based Learning, his pet project and legacy.
I literally had 45 minutes to spend with him, as I had a flight to catch that evening. So as soon as I arrived at the ranch, we jumped into an all-electric ATV and did the fastest tour I’ve ever had of a farm.
If the name McNamara sounds familiar to you, it’s because Craig is the son of the late Robert S. McNamara, the eighth U.S. secretary of defense, who served from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He played a major role in escalating the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War.
I had recently learned of that personal connection, so in the most diplomatic way I could, I asked Craig about his dad (whose name is inextricably associated with that war) and how Craig ended up as a farmer in Winters, since he grew up in Washington, D.C. You can read more about Craig and his dad in this article.
Craig shared with me that due to his father’s connection to the war and the personal burden Craig felt, he dropped out of Stanford University in protest and fled the country. He rode a motorcycle 6,000 miles to Colombia, then hitchhiked another 6,000 miles to Tierra del Fuego (the southernmost point on the continent). He ended up living on the land of peasant farmers in Mexico, Ecuador and Chile, and worked side by side with them, growing food. Craig realized working on the land was helping him heal. He returned to UC Davis and earned a degree in Plant and Soil Science. He met the love of his life and now wife, Julie, and they bought a small farm in Winters.
When they bought the farm, the best part was a cute house, which they still live in. But the ground was in terrible condition. During his time working with farmers in South America, he had learned to cultivate the land organically and applied that to his new business. He eventually created three enterprises.
First is Sierra Orchards, at 450 acres, producing mostly organic walnuts and olives for olive oil.
Second is the Center for Land-Based Learning, Craig’s passion project. Its mission is to inspire, educate and cultivate future generations of farmers, agricultural leaders and natural resources stewards. The center trains more than 2,000 people annually on sustainable farming practices, so they can go back to their communities and farm.
And third is the creation of the California Farm Academy (CFA) that trains 24 beginners each year, preparing them to be the next generation of California farmers. Graduates of CFA share incubator plots on 15 acres of Craig’s land, selling their produce to restaurants across the Bay Area and Sacramento. They are also part of the Farm to Table movement and have started many urban farms.
Craig proudly standing in front of the 15 acre incubator farm.
After the tour, Craig took me into his small office to give me a couple of bottles of his special olive oil. I spotted a photo of Craig and his dad, Secretary McNamara. With permission, I snapped this photo.
Craig and his dad Robert McNamara.
While driving to the Sacramento airport, weaving through the countryside on a one-lane road, I just couldn’t turn on the radio. I had too many thoughts going through my mind about the burdens Craig carried regarding his father’s legacy. And how Craig was able to move past those to become a farmer and entrepreneur. Interestingly, he leveraged his own leadership skills to get appointed to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture (he served for 17 years, the last seven as president). That means he was a key advisor to California’s governor and secretary of agriculture.
My final thought as I arrived at the airport was of Putah Creek flowing through his farm. Craig and I, in his ATV, roughed it through a few fields, so that he could show me the work he and his crew had done to restore Putah Creek. It’s a tributary of the Sacramento River. The 85-mile creek has its headwaters in the Mayacamas Mountains, a part of the Coast Ranges, and flows east through two dams, including a section on Craig’s farm. He showed me how, over many years, they were able to install large boulders and create an aerated section of the creek, which is now home to thousands of salmon that swim upstream each season.
The circle of life is so amazing to me. In 45 minutes, Craig shared the most intimate details of his life with me, and how he finally healed his wounds from memories of his father’s life by becoming a farmer. An organic farmer and teacher. And yet, part of Craig’s legacy will be that he served in our own state government, as a leader and influencer for generations to come.
It’s interesting how even when we resist being like our parents and want to follow our own path, we eventually find that our parents were perfect for us. It was our parents’ choices and actions that helped make us who we are today.
Karen
The restored Putah Creek on Craig’s farm.
Los Alamitos, CA (June 2019) – Staying true to its mission of ‘inspiring new food experiences’ Frieda’s has relaunched its website to make it easy for shoppers to know what is in season, get inspired with kitchen-tested recipes and make it easier for shoppers to find them in store.
Perhaps the most innovative feature is the new product locator tool that helps shoppers easily find where to buy Frieda’s products anywhere in the US. “We are thrilled to partner with Frieda’s. As one of the leading purveyors of specialty produce, Frieda’s has cultivated a devoted following of consumers eager to find their must-have products”, says David Navama, CEO of Destini. “With Destini’s Product Locator technology, consumers can now discover the exact location of their favorite Frieda’s products with a single click, and Frieda’s internal team can capture important insights on regional product demand. The Destini team is proud to be part of Frieda’s continued dedication to inspiring new food experiences.”
The new website curates a selection of seasonally relevant items in the “trending now” section, to help inspire shoppers to try the best of the season and a refreshed collection of recipes. “Recipes are the pride and joy of our site, including our new video series that makes innovative new dishes super easy for consumers”, says Cindy Sherman, Director of Marketing & Innovation. “Our carefully selected recipes featuring specific Frieda’s products are a great way to bring next-level excitement and enjoyment to any table.” With eye-catching photos and easy to follow instructions, these recipes can be easily printed or shared on social media directly from the website.
One-click navigation lets consumers easily find our top 20 items or they can explore to discover almost 300 top specialty fruit, vegetables and packaged products with relevant information from how to use, to where they are grown, and to how to select.
About Frieda’s Inc.
Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit and dragon fruit to Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.
Los Alamitos, CA (May 2019) – Grown on the lush and sunny volcanic hills of Nicaragua, Frieda’s red dragon fruit is about to be hand-picked!
According to a recent survey by C+R Research in partnership with Frieda’s, 38% of shoppers say they are more likely to shop at YOUR store if you carry red dragon fruit and 62% of shoppers say they are worth paying more for, compared to traditional white-fleshed dragon fruit. With this in mind, Frieda’s has created a limited-edition ElastiTag® to help buyers and shoppers identify this red-fleshed dragon fruit.
Its beautiful appearance and attractive deep red-magenta flesh make this unique fruit a must for attention-grabbing displays. “We are recommending retailers to merchandise red dragon fruit alongside young coconuts (on ice) and blueberries to increase dollar ring for the July 4th holiday,” says Alex Berkley, sales manager at Frieda’s specialty produce.
This beautiful and refreshing tropical fruit can be simply peeled and enjoyed alone, or added to summer classics like salsa, fruit salads, and smoothies. Frieda’s red dragon fruit is not only one of the sweetest dragon fruits with a Brix of 17, but its mild flavor also complements summer classics like pineapples and strawberries. It can also be used as a garnish or ingredient for cocktails or as festive table decoration.
Available in 6, 9, 12 and 18 count “and a baby “snackable” size, we expect it to be available all summer through October. Contact your Frieda’s account representative today for merchandising suggestions that drive higher traffic to your produce department and increase dollar ring and overall sales.
About Frieda’s Inc.
Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit and dragon fruit to Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.
Los Alamitos, CA (May 2019) – The beginning of summer means – Frieda’s white-flesh Angelcots® are coming! Though the season is short and sweet, consumers nationwide know they are coming and demand always exceeds supply.
“Angelcots® and other high-flavor tree fruits are trending every year because they’re something familiar with a slight twist,” says Alex Berkley, sales manager at Frieda’s. “The flavor of these are mild and sweet, and shoppers are already waiting to get their hands on them, which is why we do pre-orders before the season even kicks off.”
The unique and irresistible juicy and floral flavor of Angelcots® makes them a crowd favorite. The crop has been grown exclusively for Frieda’s in California for almost a decade, and the first harvest usually starts mid-June.
If you want to have the amazing Angelcot® experience in your stores, better call your Frieda’s account manager today – before they are all sold out.
About Frieda’s Inc.
Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit and dragon fruit to Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.
Los Alamitos, CA (May 2019) – The super-hot pepper season has arrived early this year. Peppers like ghost, carolina reaper and trinidad scorpion are coloring up on plants and getting ready to land in your produce department, just in time for Memorial Day displays.
“Super-hot peppers have become a cult favorite in recent years” says Alex Berkley, sales manager at Frieda’s specialty produce. “We are seeing their arrival from Holland earlier than last year, which is perfect timing to add them to ‘chill & grill’ displays and merchandise with summer favorites like watermelon and refreshing young coconuts, on ice. In fact, according to a recent study by C + R Research in partnership with Frieda’s, 35% of shoppers say they are more likely to shop at YOUR store if you sell young coconuts.”
Don’t just stop there. Entice shoppers to celebrate Memorial Day (and the whole summer) by adding to your summer displays. “With Memorial Day serving as the kickoff to the summer grilling season, we encourage retailers to add new grilling favorites to their summer sets, including Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes, colored cauliflower, shishito peppers and graffiti eggplant,” says Berkley.
Call your Frieda’s account manager today for merchandising solutions that inspire your shoppers’ summer holiday celebrations.
Source:
C+R Research Omnibus Survey. Sample size of 1,000 people. Representative of total U.S. demographics.
About Frieda’s Inc.
Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit and dragon fruit to Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.
Los Alamitos, CA (April 2019) – Entice shoppers to celebrate Mother’s Day more memorably this year by adding Frieda’s French Style Crêpes to your berry case.
“Shoppers are looking for new and easy ways to enjoy holidays like Mother’s Day without breaking the bank,” said Alex Jackson Berkley, sales manager at Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Showing your customers that they can elevate their celebration with items like our crêpes is a sure-fire way to boost your berry sales this season!”
Providing recipe inspiration is another way to drive customer purchases. With berries being a popular complement to crêpes, we recommend sharing a recipe like our Blueberry Lemon Mousse Crêpes and cross-merchandising with the berries to have a one-stop pop-up display. Frieda’s offers a shelf-stable display box that holds 12/5 oz. packages of Frieda’s French Style Crêpes, which makes creating these types of displays easy.
Call your Frieda’s account manager today for merchandising solutions that inspire your shoppers’ celebrations this May!
About Frieda’s Inc.
Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit and dragon fruit to Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.
Los Alamitos, CA (April 2019) – This year the Passover holiday will be celebrated from April 19 at sundown on April 27. The highlight of Passover is the Seder, observed on the first two nights of the holiday. The Seder is a fifteen-step family-oriented tradition and ritual-packed feast.
“Those of us in the fresh produce business know that Passover has some very distinctive foods that are used at the Seder.” says Alex Berkley, sales manager at Frieda’s.
The traditional celebration usually includes specific essentials like horseradish, but that doesn’t mean your meal has to be completely conventional. Newer generations are celebrating Passover by incorporating other produce in their modern versions of Passover Seder plates.
“We know that shoppers will be looking for exciting Passover items at their local markets so we want to make it easier for them to find these holiday must-haves through merchandising. Try cross-merchandising horseradish and Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes as a way to increase the basket ring during this springtime Jewish holiday.” says Alex Berkley, sales manager at Frieda’s.
Furthermore, a recent article by reformjudaism.org explained how and why new additions are showing up on modern Seder plates. Such is the case for tubers, including potatoes and sweet potatoes. “In 1991, Israel launched Operation Solomon, a covert plan to bring Ethiopian Jews to the Holy Land. When these famished, downtrodden Jews arrived in Israel, many were so hungry and ill that they were unable to digest substantial food. Israeli doctors fed these new immigrants simple boiled potatoes and rice until their systems could take more food.”
Therefore, to commemorate this at their Seder, consumers are incorporating sweet potato alongside the karpas (green spring vegetable). This addition honors a wondrous exodus in our own time, from Ethiopia to Israel. We especially like the inclusion of Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes, and then highlighting it during the dinner portion of the meal, in dishes like organic Stokes Purple ®sweet potato fritters with green tahini. This recipe was created especially for Frieda’s by chefs Heather Sperling and Emily Fiffer of Botanica. Located in Silverlake, CA. Botanica was named one of the Top 10 Best New Restaurants in 2017 by LA Magazine.
About Frieda’s Inc.
Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit and dragon fruit to Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.
Los Alamitos, CA (March 2019) – Love Your Produce Manager® Day (LYPM) is our favorite day of the year to recognize supermarket heroes across the country – produce managers and their teams. LYPM Day grabs attention every year, with many different organizations engaging online to celebrate their produce teams. We all know execution in the produce department depends on a motivated and inspired in-store produce team, which is why Frieda’s created the holiday in 2012 to recognize produce managers and the hard work they put into their departments to stay fresh, educate shoppers and increase sales.
“Making people feel valued individually can truly motivate your employees, and it’s even better when the entire store team feels like they are in it together,” says Karen Caplan, CEO and president of Frieda’s. “This helps to build comradery and strengthens performance across the entire team.”
“That is why this year, for the first time ever, we are celebrating the whole produce team for LYPM Day!” says Caplan. Frieda’s partnered with produce district specialists nationwide to nominate the outstanding produce teams that go above and beyond in their department. “We used a panel of produce merchandising experts to select winners based on customer interactions, sales growth and upkeep of their department,” says Caplan.
Frieda’s is excited to announce the winners for LYPM Day 2019: Schnucks #188 in Ladue, St. Louis, MO, Kroger#533 in Shreveport, LA, Kroger #302 in Galveston, TX, Lowes Foods #224 in Raleigh, NC and Ralphs #611 in Palm Springs, CA. Congratulations to the winners! The entire team at Frieda’s appreciates everything that you do.
We encourage you to go on social media to share what you love about your favorite produce teams using the hashtag #LoveYourProduceManager. Call your account manager today if you’d like to send a special recognition to your favorite produce team and tell your produce manager and their team how much you appreciate what they do every day!
About Frieda’s Inc.
Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit and dragon fruit to Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.
Los Alamitos, CA – (March 2019) – Go above and beyond this spring and help Frieda’s celebrate Registered Dietitian Nutritionist day (3/13/19) and Love Your Produce Manager® Day (4/2/19). Both holidays are opportunities to show appreciation for everything these two teams do throughout the year to make healthy eating easy and delicious for shoppers.
“Recognition of your produce and dietitian teams is always important, but having a day that truly acknowledges the value they bring every day builds loyalty,” says Alex Berkley, sales manager at Frieda’s. “These teams help create an in-store experience that brings shoppers into YOUR store and keeps them coming back.”
Data shows that freshness and associate friendliness are key drivers of the shopper experience, scoring a 4.4 and 4.3 respectively, on a 5-point scale according to The Retail Feedback Group’s U.S. Supermarket Experience 2019 report. “Going that extra mile for these teams is a great way to ensure that your store becomes THE destination for fresh and healthy eating,” says Berkley.
So don’t forget to celebrate your produce and dietitian teams this year and all they do to help create that outstanding consumer experience that shoppers are looking for. Call your Frieda’s account manager today for ways to celebrate these produce heroes.
Source:
U.S. Supermarket Experience Study.
About Frieda’s Inc.
Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit and dragon fruit to Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.
Los Alamitos, CA – (February 2019) – Over the years, Easter has evolved from the full-spread dinner where ham is the center of the table to a brunch focus with lighter fare and more produce. And this trend isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
According to a recent study by C + R Research in partnership with Frieda’s, 68 percent of shoppers plan to serve more vegetable-forward dishes this spring. Furthermore, the same study revealed, 66 percent of shoppers are looking to try new varieties like Colored Cauliflower and Rainbow Carrots over classic items such as kale and artichokes. “Here at Frieda’s, we were surprised to learn how interested shoppers are in trying new vegetables in spring, primarily driven by millennials,” says Alex Berkley, sales manager at Frieda’s. “This is suggestive of everything we have been learning about millennials’ tastes, but the survey really drives it home.”
Additionally, supply is shaping up nicely for spring items. “Although weather has kept us on our toes in California, we are excited about the outlook of our supplies on the best spring sellers,” says Allen Demo, director of procurement and sourcing at Frieda’s. “Along with our western vegetables and California citrus supplies, our Stokes Purple® Sweet Potatoes remain high in quality and rich in flavor, especially over other varieties on the market.”
Drive your produce sales this spring by taking advantage of the variety and great supply of Frieda’s spring products. Call your Frieda’s account manager today for merchandising, signage and recipe solutions that will make shoppers say, “Move over ham, I’m ready for more vegetables.”
Source:
C+R Research Omnibus Survey. Sample size of 1,000 people. Representative of total U.S. demographics.
About Frieda’s Inc.
Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit and dragon fruit to Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.
