Sales contest jump-starts sales for Pro*Act
Sales contest jump-starts sales for Pro*Act
This has been a difficult year for the produce industry due to economic, social and weather events. For Pro*Act, a leading distributor of fresh produce to the foodservice industry, the year started strong with fresh fruit sales, thanks to a first-ever sales contest for its members, which was sponsored by the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association.
Total sales of fresh grapes and tree fruit (peaches, plums and nectarines) from Chile increased 23 percent from Jan. 20 to Feb. 16 over the same time period last year. Fresh blueberry sales doubled during the same period, according to Lewis & Neale Inc., the public relations agency that represents the association.
Distributor members from each of Pro*Act's three sales regions competed for a $1,000 cash prize. Winners were determined by their percentage increases in sales compared with the same period in 2007. The winning members were J. Kings Food Service in the East, Get Fresh Sales in the West and Third Coast Produce in the Midwest.
"We were very pleased with the impact of the promotion - especially during an unusual season - and look forward to building on it next year," Dominic Carnazzo of Monterey, CA-based Pro*Act, which organized and heavily promoted the contest to its members, said in a late May press release.
The awards were presented at Pro*Act's annual sales conference in Tempe, AZ, in support of Chile's efforts to boost fresh fruit sales in the foodservice industry.
A special blueberry award was presented to Bamford Produce in Toronto, which has been in business for over 125 years and has been supplying the foodservice industry for 40 years. The company sold over 17,000 flats of blueberries during the four-week contest period. "We have seen increased demand among all segments of our foodservice customers, and the volume and quality from Chile was outstanding," Steven Bamford said in the press relese.
Mike Gorczyca, procurement manager at Pro*Act, was surprised at the sudden jump in blueberry orders. "Once this promotion kicked off, Steve quickly went from a few pallets of blueberries a week to a few loads," he said in the release. "I was blown away."
Fresh blueberries were one highlight of the Chilean season, which was hurt by weather, exchange rates and rising fuel prices. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2007-08 blueberry shipments from Chile were 47.3 million pounds, up 43 percent from the previous season.
Total sales of fresh grapes and tree fruit (peaches, plums and nectarines) from Chile increased 23 percent from Jan. 20 to Feb. 16 over the same time period last year. Fresh blueberry sales doubled during the same period, according to Lewis & Neale Inc., the public relations agency that represents the association.
Distributor members from each of Pro*Act's three sales regions competed for a $1,000 cash prize. Winners were determined by their percentage increases in sales compared with the same period in 2007. The winning members were J. Kings Food Service in the East, Get Fresh Sales in the West and Third Coast Produce in the Midwest.
"We were very pleased with the impact of the promotion - especially during an unusual season - and look forward to building on it next year," Dominic Carnazzo of Monterey, CA-based Pro*Act, which organized and heavily promoted the contest to its members, said in a late May press release.
The awards were presented at Pro*Act's annual sales conference in Tempe, AZ, in support of Chile's efforts to boost fresh fruit sales in the foodservice industry.
A special blueberry award was presented to Bamford Produce in Toronto, which has been in business for over 125 years and has been supplying the foodservice industry for 40 years. The company sold over 17,000 flats of blueberries during the four-week contest period. "We have seen increased demand among all segments of our foodservice customers, and the volume and quality from Chile was outstanding," Steven Bamford said in the press relese.
Mike Gorczyca, procurement manager at Pro*Act, was surprised at the sudden jump in blueberry orders. "Once this promotion kicked off, Steve quickly went from a few pallets of blueberries a week to a few loads," he said in the release. "I was blown away."
Fresh blueberries were one highlight of the Chilean season, which was hurt by weather, exchange rates and rising fuel prices. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2007-08 blueberry shipments from Chile were 47.3 million pounds, up 43 percent from the previous season.
