Los Alamitos, CA (March 2021) – As Women’s History Month comes to a close, Frieda’s Specialty Produce looks forward to celebrating its 59th Anniversary on April 2 with the release of a new children’s book titled, “Try It! How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat.”

Authored by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by Giselle Potter, the book celebrates the incredible life of Frieda Caplan—the produce pioneer who forever changed the way Americans eat by introducing a whole new world of delicious foods to the United States—from baby carrots to blood oranges and, of course, kiwis!

TRY IT! is what Frieda Caplan did,” says Mara Rockliff, the book’s author. “When she started selling produce in the 1950s, there were no women doing what she did. She could have given up and gone home, or she could have followed the men’s lead and sold the same old apples and bananas and potatoes and tomatoes. Instead, she decided to try something new, and she changed the whole industry.”

Frieda was credited with differentiating her products and building her niche through the clever use of product naming, clear labeling, customer education, and interesting recipes, all of which remains deeply entrenched in the company’s ethos.

“My mother always believed in thinking outside the produce box,” says Karen Caplan, CEO and president of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “In fact, my favorite story is how she was approached by a produce manager to locate what is now known as kiwifruit. She managed to get the first shipment on grocery store shelves, and, as they say, the rest is marketing history.”

The book has already received rave reviews and is the perfect way to inspire the little ones in your life. For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/3clogc9 and TRY IT! for yourself!

Speaking of kiwis, April 2 is also Love Your Produce Manager® Day, the perfect opportunity to recognize the incredible work done by the unsung heroes of produce and honor their knowledge, hard work, and ability to go above and beyond even during the toughest times.

Without produce managers, there would be no calamondins, kumquats, lychees, dragon fruit, or other exotic produce. So, don’t forget to celebrate your produce teams this year and highlight 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.

Los Alamitos, CA (March 2021) International Women’s Month, celebrated in March, is the perfect time to spotlight the incredible women who have paved the way for women all over the world. As a proud female and family founded, owned and led business, Frieda’s Specialty Produce wanted to do something innovative to recognize women pioneers.

A campaign unveiled across multiple social media platforms features our founder Frieda Rapoport Caplan, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and poet laureate Amanda Gorman. Their iconic styles and personalities were brought to life through produce like colored cauliflower, Stokes Purple® sweet potato, shishito peppers and Snow Dragon™ fruit.

“My mother would have gotten such a kick out of seeing her portrait recreated out of dragon fruit and colored cauliflower,” says Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “It brings such joy to honor her alongside the legendary RBG and the voice of the next generation, Amanda Gorman. We wanted to focus on women who have inspired us, but in true Frieda’s fashion do it in a way that makes people smile.”

This International Women’s month we salute all female trailblazers inside and outside the produce industry, from fearless frontline warriors to the female scientists working on the vaccines and all of the moms in between.
To all the women in our lives, thank you for everything you do!

 

To view the campaign, please visit our social media pages:
Instagram – www.instagram.com/friedasproduce
Facebook – www.facebook.com/friedasspecialtyproduce

 

 

Los Alamitos, CA (February 2021) Whole Foods Market is celebrating “Women Makers Raising the Bar,” highlighting some of the women makers, career changers and industry leaders who inspire and motivate others; and for the second year in a row, Frieda’s will be a focal point in the produce department as a proudly female-founded, female-owned and female-led company.

“We’re happy to spotlight Frieda’s Specialty Produce, a woman-owned and operated produce company,” said Erik Brown, executive leader, procurement at Whole Foods Market. “Frieda’s is a supplier that is all heart, caring deeply about the companies they supply and the shoppers they inspire.”

Nationwide, Whole Foods Market will promote a large selection of Frieda’s specialty items, including Snow & Honey™ dragon fruit, jackfruit, mandarinquats, kumquats, pink lemons and much more.

“We are thrilled to be included in this promotion for the second year in a row! In a male-driven industry, our female-first heritage is what lies at the very heart of our company and sets us apart,” says Megan Klemz, account manager at Frieda’s. “It is truly amazing to work with an organization like Whole Foods Market who has shared values and seeks to inspire their shoppers every day with new food experiences.”