Green Giant Fresh adds citrus to its lineup
Green Giant Fresh adds citrus to its lineup
Adding to its product categories and network of shipper collaborators, citrus from both California and Florida will be sold under the "Green Giant Fresh" brand beginning this fall.
Sunny Cove Citrus in Orange Cove, CA, will be packing California Navels, Valencias, Mineolas and Mandarins under the label, while Vero Beach, FL-based DLF International will be marketing grapefruit, tangerines, oranges and other locally grown products. In addition, both partners will eventually expand the brand to product sourced internationally.
Keith Wilson, vice president of sales for Sunny Cove, said that his firm will market the "Green Giant Fresh" label for both its bulk and bagged citrus. The bulk items will be stickered with the "Green Giant Fresh" brand, while its bagged items will prominently display the banner.
Larry Narwold, vice president of sales for Green Giant Fresh/Sholl Group II, told The Produce News Aug. 9 that the addition of a citrus category further expands the "Green Giant Fresh" label into the produce department and allows these shippers to trade on the 75- year history of Green Giant. "It gives these companies the opportunity to have a [consumer-recognized] national brand," he said.
Mr. Narwold said that Green Giant's strength is in the heartland, but it also has good recognition on both coasts. Typically, he said, Green Giant Fresh has partnered with firms that have a good reputation for quality but are not the largest firms in their category. "Oftentimes, [the Green Giant shipper collaborators] have flown a bit under the radar and hopefully they see Green Giant Fresh as giving them a national presence."
Mr. Wilson indicated that this is the case for Sunny Cove. The firm has been in the citrus growing, packing and shipping business for many years operating both as an independent and as a Sunkist grower at different times. For the past five years, Sunny Cove was an independent with its fruit marketed by a third-party sales organization. "This year we decided to take the sales in-house so it was a perfect opportunity to partner with Green Giant Fresh," said Mr. Wilson.
The firm will offer its own "Sunny Cove" and "Cove" labels alongside the "Green Giant Fresh" brand. Mr. Wilson said that the citrus packer looks at the affiliation as a way to expand sales and get into new markets.
Green Giant Fresh has 16 packer-shipper affiliates representing more than three dozen separate produce categories and more than 600 different packs encompassing different sizes and varieties of these items. Mr. Narwold said that the expansion into citrus is a natural progression, and he promised that the label will be announcing further product expansion in the not-too-distant future.
Mr. Wilson said that Sunny Cove expects to work with all the partners in some type of fashion to grow the brand and increase sales. "When we meet with our customers, we are talking about the 'Green Giant Fresh' label and all the products [available under that brand]. We would hope that all of the partners are doing that same thing."
He said that as the list of categories grows, it affords the opportunity for a retailer to do special cross-promotions with various items within the produce department.
Mr. Narwold said that Green Giant Fresh has done some cross- promotions with General Mills and other products, including Green Giant frozen, but promotions are typically the domain of the individual shippers. He said that even though Green Giant Fresh represents scores of items in the produce department, the brand still does not have the volume or the penetration to launch national consumer advertising.
"That is very difficult for any company in the produce industry. You have to throw a lot of money at that," Mr. Narwold said, indicating that the return isn't there. "We are not like Coca Cola or Pepsi that can do that because they have a 30 percent market share or something like that."
However, Mr. Narwold said that Green Giant has a good deal of marketing and advertising expertise on staff and is always available to help all of its partners design effective promotional programs with retailers.
Though he wasn't immediately available to make a comment to this publication, Doug Feek, president of DLF International Inc., said in a press release that the firm was "excited for the endless opportunities of being involved with the Green Giant Fresh citrus program. Green Giant Fresh brings a high level of food safety knowledge, a marketing department with representatives on hand and a retail brand that is well known, respected and accepted by consumers."
DLF has been a marketer of Florida citrus for the past 15 years; the first 12 were exclusive to exports. But for the past three seasons, the company has been involved in the domestic marketing of its products. The company markets fruit from more than 5,000 acres.
Tom Clark, president of Sunny Cove Citrus, said in the same press release, "I am impressed with the level of food-safety requirements that need to be met to become a member of the Green Giant Fresh program."
Established in 1974, Sunny Cove Citrus currently operates one packinghouse in Orange Cove, which is centrally located in California's San Joaquin Valley. The company is owned by six growers who farm 5,000 acres of California farmland.
Sunny Cove Citrus in Orange Cove, CA, will be packing California Navels, Valencias, Mineolas and Mandarins under the label, while Vero Beach, FL-based DLF International will be marketing grapefruit, tangerines, oranges and other locally grown products. In addition, both partners will eventually expand the brand to product sourced internationally.
Keith Wilson, vice president of sales for Sunny Cove, said that his firm will market the "Green Giant Fresh" label for both its bulk and bagged citrus. The bulk items will be stickered with the "Green Giant Fresh" brand, while its bagged items will prominently display the banner.
Larry Narwold, vice president of sales for Green Giant Fresh/Sholl Group II, told The Produce News Aug. 9 that the addition of a citrus category further expands the "Green Giant Fresh" label into the produce department and allows these shippers to trade on the 75- year history of Green Giant. "It gives these companies the opportunity to have a [consumer-recognized] national brand," he said.
Mr. Narwold said that Green Giant's strength is in the heartland, but it also has good recognition on both coasts. Typically, he said, Green Giant Fresh has partnered with firms that have a good reputation for quality but are not the largest firms in their category. "Oftentimes, [the Green Giant shipper collaborators] have flown a bit under the radar and hopefully they see Green Giant Fresh as giving them a national presence."
Mr. Wilson indicated that this is the case for Sunny Cove. The firm has been in the citrus growing, packing and shipping business for many years operating both as an independent and as a Sunkist grower at different times. For the past five years, Sunny Cove was an independent with its fruit marketed by a third-party sales organization. "This year we decided to take the sales in-house so it was a perfect opportunity to partner with Green Giant Fresh," said Mr. Wilson.
The firm will offer its own "Sunny Cove" and "Cove" labels alongside the "Green Giant Fresh" brand. Mr. Wilson said that the citrus packer looks at the affiliation as a way to expand sales and get into new markets.
Green Giant Fresh has 16 packer-shipper affiliates representing more than three dozen separate produce categories and more than 600 different packs encompassing different sizes and varieties of these items. Mr. Narwold said that the expansion into citrus is a natural progression, and he promised that the label will be announcing further product expansion in the not-too-distant future.
Mr. Wilson said that Sunny Cove expects to work with all the partners in some type of fashion to grow the brand and increase sales. "When we meet with our customers, we are talking about the 'Green Giant Fresh' label and all the products [available under that brand]. We would hope that all of the partners are doing that same thing."
He said that as the list of categories grows, it affords the opportunity for a retailer to do special cross-promotions with various items within the produce department.
Mr. Narwold said that Green Giant Fresh has done some cross- promotions with General Mills and other products, including Green Giant frozen, but promotions are typically the domain of the individual shippers. He said that even though Green Giant Fresh represents scores of items in the produce department, the brand still does not have the volume or the penetration to launch national consumer advertising.
"That is very difficult for any company in the produce industry. You have to throw a lot of money at that," Mr. Narwold said, indicating that the return isn't there. "We are not like Coca Cola or Pepsi that can do that because they have a 30 percent market share or something like that."
However, Mr. Narwold said that Green Giant has a good deal of marketing and advertising expertise on staff and is always available to help all of its partners design effective promotional programs with retailers.
Though he wasn't immediately available to make a comment to this publication, Doug Feek, president of DLF International Inc., said in a press release that the firm was "excited for the endless opportunities of being involved with the Green Giant Fresh citrus program. Green Giant Fresh brings a high level of food safety knowledge, a marketing department with representatives on hand and a retail brand that is well known, respected and accepted by consumers."
DLF has been a marketer of Florida citrus for the past 15 years; the first 12 were exclusive to exports. But for the past three seasons, the company has been involved in the domestic marketing of its products. The company markets fruit from more than 5,000 acres.
Tom Clark, president of Sunny Cove Citrus, said in the same press release, "I am impressed with the level of food-safety requirements that need to be met to become a member of the Green Giant Fresh program."
Established in 1974, Sunny Cove Citrus currently operates one packinghouse in Orange Cove, which is centrally located in California's San Joaquin Valley. The company is owned by six growers who farm 5,000 acres of California farmland.
