Papaya industry eyes unified push with proposed research and promotion board
Papaya industry eyes unified push with proposed research and promotion board
A coalition of papaya industry stakeholders is taking steps to strengthen category performance in the United States, inviting growers, shippers and marketers to participate in a virtual briefing focused on the creation of a national research and promotion board.
The Papaya Board Working Group will host a Zoom session May 27 aimed at outlining a framework for a performance-based board designed to expand consumer awareness and drive demand for papayas across the U.S. market.
The effort comes as industry leaders point to untapped growth potential for the tropical fruit, particularly when compared to the success of other commodity groups that have leveraged coordinated promotion and research programs.
“We want more U.S. consumers to buy papayas. No one is talking to these consumers about papayas,” said Lance Peterson, president of Super Starr International, based in Pharr, TX. “We want to help consumers fall in love with papayas, and we believe we can do that best as an industry working together.”
The upcoming session will provide participants with an overview of current market dynamics, outline the role Hawaiian producers could play in shaping and leading the initiative, and walk through the process of establishing a national promotion board.
Organizers are specifically targeting papaya growers, grower-shippers, and sales and marketing executives, with an emphasis on encouraging collaboration across the supply chain. The session is free to attend and will include opportunities for participants to engage directly with organizers and ask questions about the proposed structure and goals.
“The papaya industry deserves a stronger presence in the market,” said Hector del Pazo, CEO of Proexport Papaya C.A. in Colima, Mexico. “We have seen how mangos and avocados expanded their market by working together. We want to work together with the Hawaiian producers to grow the papaya market.”
The working group, comprised of papaya importers and marketers, believes a unified approach that is funded and governed by producers, shippers and importers offers the most effective path forward. By aligning industry resources, the group aims to support consumer education, category promotion and research initiatives that can elevate papaya’s profile at retail.
In particular, organizers are emphasizing the importance of Hawaiian producers in helping guide the development of the board, given their longstanding role in domestic papaya production and market presence.
The May 27 session is scheduled for 12 p.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time and will be conducted via Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4074155752?pwd=dEU5aWVvODltd2NsWWdBOHpna2Y4dz09&omn=89745563269).
For more information, contact William Watson at 407.415.5752 or [email protected].
