California produce marketer DJ Forry is set to kick off the 2013 California stone fruit season with the release of its new Forry's Finest California Summer Fruit Trio.

The new two-pound package configuration contains a combination of kid-sized tree ripened peaches, plums and nectarines.

The new Summer Fruit Trio package design and messaging is a direct result of a corporate brand awareness effort completed in 2012.

"The consumer research we completed last year served to reinforce what we felt was right all along, which was that consumers want to provide healthy snacks for their families," said John Forry, vice president of the Novato, CA-based company. "We felt like a package with a variety of right-sized fruit for children would help parents with that goal because so many supermarket bulk displays are filled with fruit that can weigh up to nine ounces. That's great for adults, but what about kids? Would a parent offer their eight-year-old a nine-ounce ribeye? We believe our Trio provides parents the opportunity to provide a variety of fruit, sized right for kids, that helps eliminate waste."

DJ Forry test marketed its Summer Fruit Trio at two retailers in 2012, with results indicating sales from the Trio pack were incremental to the category.

"We worked with two forward-thinking retailers last year to test our Summer Fruit Trio and we came away with fantastic results," added Ray England, vice president of marketing. "More to the point, sales from our Trio pack added incremental sales to the stone fruit category with little if any cannibalization of bulk sales. It is a rare occasion when a produce merchant has the opportunity to add a new SKU to a mainline category that effectively broadens their sales base. We believe the results we experienced illustrate that our Trio pack fills a void in the stone fruit category. When you think about it, especially from a marketing perspective, filling a void does not displace current efforts; it bridges a gap, which we believe is a good thing."

DJ Forry markets several varieties of stone fruit, cherries, table grapes and specialty fruits including persimmons, pomegranates and arils. The company's customers include produce wholesalers, brokers, and retailers.

Forry works with more than 70 farmers in California, Mexico and Chile to deliver the right products at the right price to both the domestic and export markets.