California grape industry makes big late-season push
California grape industry makes big late-season push
FRESNO, CA -- As of Oct. 26, it had been five weeks since the official start of autumn. The frost is already on the pumpkins, so to speak, across much of the United States.
But in California, one of the favorite produce items of summer -- California fresh grapes -- is still being picked, packed and shipped in abundance and variety.
California grapes will, in fact, continue to be available throughout the remainder of the fall season and into early winter.
Thanks in large part to the introduction in recent years of new late-season table grape varieties, California growers have been increasing their acreage of late-season production, and also broadening the assortment of late- season varieties they offer.
Consequently, the California Table Grape Commission, here, is making its biggest marketing push ever for fall and early winter, with a major new focus on the month of December.
The campaign slogan is "Fresh December," and the elements of the campaign will include a December retail contest, new December point-of-purchase materials and Fresh December radio tags for traffic radio. In addition, the commission's billboards featuring California grapes will stay up into December this year, and a number of public relations efforts will continue through the end of the year.
"The California [fresh grape] season begins in May but runs into February," Kathleen Nave, the commission's president, said in an Oct. 24 interview with The Produce News. "We actually harvest over 60 percent of our crop after September 1," so the bulk of the crop ships between the beginning of September and Christmas, she said.
"This year, we have a later season. We are running about 10 days behind what we would consider normal, so we will have promotable volumes all the way through the end of the year," Ms. Nave said.
Knowing that the late-season volume would be substantial, the commission "built a promotion plan to accommodate ever- larger fall crops," she said. "We intend to own December for California table grapes. Although there are grapes available from other sources in December, there isn't the volume and there isn't the variety" that is available from California.
Of 63 varieties of fresh California grapes available commercially, 49 of them are available during the September-through-December period. Those include 14 major varieties, of which nine are available into December, according to the commission's category management data.
The December display contest will be a first for the commission -- and the first time three contests have been held in a single season. This year, one contest was held in June and a second in September. The third will kick off Dec. 1.
"We have made several December p-o-p materials for the displays," said Cindy Plummer, the commission's vice president of domestic marketing. "We also have Fresh December radio tags for traffic radio, if retailers are running a front-page ad or a multiple-variety ad."
The commission "will also tie in the December activity with our season-long promotion that we have with the top 70 retailers," she said.
As the California table grape industry has become "more sophisticated in our programs, we are having a lot more grapes available clear through the first of January and even later than that," Ms. Plummer said. "So we want to make sure that we have plenty of activity going on in December." In that way, "when we get competition from other countries, California's grapes are front and center in the produce department as long as we have the product."
Ms. Nave noted that "part of the emphasis on Fresh December has to do with consumers' continuing preference for California fruit. We have that from a variety of sources - our own research as well as the research that comes out of the Buy California campaign."
The latest research shows that when given a choice, 86 percent of the consumers in the United States prefer California fruit, she said.
Ms. Plummer said that there has been an increase in the number of California grape promotions run by retailers during the late season and also in the number of varieties typically displayed in the produce department even when they are not on ad. Both approaches are effective ways to increase sales at the retail level, she said.
Category management data show that feature ads are "the most effective" means of achieving "lift on both volume and dollars, and we are seeing more feature ads" in the late season for California grapes, she said.
Research also shows that multiple-variety ads "produce the greatest lift in volume," she said. "And we are seeing a very large increase in multiple-variety ads over what we had four years ago before we started our category management program."
Knowing that multiple-variety ads result in a significant lift, "we did a research project to see what would happen if you stocked more varieties day in and day out," rather than the common practice of going back to the usual two or three varieties after the promotion was over, Ms. Plummer said. The research showed that stores displaying six varieties "had triple the volume and triple the dollar sales as those who carried four [varieties]."
Now, retailers are carrying more varieties on a regular basis than they did just a few years ago, she said. "I am seeing three at a minimum, and a lot of times you will see five or six [varieties] day in and day out, not just when [the stores] are on multiple-variety ads."
Demand so far this fall has been good, Ms. Plummer said. "We are seeing great ad activity, and retailers are pleased with the quality we have had so far."
But in California, one of the favorite produce items of summer -- California fresh grapes -- is still being picked, packed and shipped in abundance and variety.
California grapes will, in fact, continue to be available throughout the remainder of the fall season and into early winter.
Thanks in large part to the introduction in recent years of new late-season table grape varieties, California growers have been increasing their acreage of late-season production, and also broadening the assortment of late- season varieties they offer.
Consequently, the California Table Grape Commission, here, is making its biggest marketing push ever for fall and early winter, with a major new focus on the month of December.
The campaign slogan is "Fresh December," and the elements of the campaign will include a December retail contest, new December point-of-purchase materials and Fresh December radio tags for traffic radio. In addition, the commission's billboards featuring California grapes will stay up into December this year, and a number of public relations efforts will continue through the end of the year.
"The California [fresh grape] season begins in May but runs into February," Kathleen Nave, the commission's president, said in an Oct. 24 interview with The Produce News. "We actually harvest over 60 percent of our crop after September 1," so the bulk of the crop ships between the beginning of September and Christmas, she said.
"This year, we have a later season. We are running about 10 days behind what we would consider normal, so we will have promotable volumes all the way through the end of the year," Ms. Nave said.
Knowing that the late-season volume would be substantial, the commission "built a promotion plan to accommodate ever- larger fall crops," she said. "We intend to own December for California table grapes. Although there are grapes available from other sources in December, there isn't the volume and there isn't the variety" that is available from California.
Of 63 varieties of fresh California grapes available commercially, 49 of them are available during the September-through-December period. Those include 14 major varieties, of which nine are available into December, according to the commission's category management data.
The December display contest will be a first for the commission -- and the first time three contests have been held in a single season. This year, one contest was held in June and a second in September. The third will kick off Dec. 1.
"We have made several December p-o-p materials for the displays," said Cindy Plummer, the commission's vice president of domestic marketing. "We also have Fresh December radio tags for traffic radio, if retailers are running a front-page ad or a multiple-variety ad."
The commission "will also tie in the December activity with our season-long promotion that we have with the top 70 retailers," she said.
As the California table grape industry has become "more sophisticated in our programs, we are having a lot more grapes available clear through the first of January and even later than that," Ms. Plummer said. "So we want to make sure that we have plenty of activity going on in December." In that way, "when we get competition from other countries, California's grapes are front and center in the produce department as long as we have the product."
Ms. Nave noted that "part of the emphasis on Fresh December has to do with consumers' continuing preference for California fruit. We have that from a variety of sources - our own research as well as the research that comes out of the Buy California campaign."
The latest research shows that when given a choice, 86 percent of the consumers in the United States prefer California fruit, she said.
Ms. Plummer said that there has been an increase in the number of California grape promotions run by retailers during the late season and also in the number of varieties typically displayed in the produce department even when they are not on ad. Both approaches are effective ways to increase sales at the retail level, she said.
Category management data show that feature ads are "the most effective" means of achieving "lift on both volume and dollars, and we are seeing more feature ads" in the late season for California grapes, she said.
Research also shows that multiple-variety ads "produce the greatest lift in volume," she said. "And we are seeing a very large increase in multiple-variety ads over what we had four years ago before we started our category management program."
Knowing that multiple-variety ads result in a significant lift, "we did a research project to see what would happen if you stocked more varieties day in and day out," rather than the common practice of going back to the usual two or three varieties after the promotion was over, Ms. Plummer said. The research showed that stores displaying six varieties "had triple the volume and triple the dollar sales as those who carried four [varieties]."
Now, retailers are carrying more varieties on a regular basis than they did just a few years ago, she said. "I am seeing three at a minimum, and a lot of times you will see five or six [varieties] day in and day out, not just when [the stores] are on multiple-variety ads."
Demand so far this fall has been good, Ms. Plummer said. "We are seeing great ad activity, and retailers are pleased with the quality we have had so far."
