The U.S. consumer is partial to green asparagus, largely because of tradition and familiarity, but that hasn’t stopped Gourmet Trading Co. from aggressively merchandising white and purple asparagus alongside the more popular green variety.

The company sources asparagus year round from Peru and actually has both white and green asparagus throughout the year. The purple asparagus has a much more limited production window for the firm.

Gourmet Trading markets purple and white asparagus in addition to the more common green variety.“We harvest green asparagus year round in Peru,” said Chloe Varennes, marketing and packaging administrator for the Los Angeles-based firm. “We experience a peak in volume from September through November. We have a steady supply of white asparagus year round from Tujillo, Peru. We also grow purple asparagus in our farm in Ica, Peru, which is only harvested from mid-September to mid-December.”

During the peak of the season, when all three varieties are in production, Gourmet Trading will merchandise them together.

“This Peruvian asparagus season we will be promoting our tri-color asparagus and peeled white asparagus for retail and foodservice clients,” Ms. Varennes said.

Gourmet believes the three colors together create an attractive display that stands out and gives retailers the opportunity to lift sales.

The tri-color packs include a one-pound bag of green, white and purple asparagus for retail. In addition, the firm will be offering nine-ounce, one-pound and 1.5-pound “shelf life-extending bags of pre-peeled white asparagus for the holidays.”

Ms. Varennes said that the creative merchandising often elicits an initial buy of the white asparagus by consumers, but getting them to come back is a tough sell.

“We have found that consumers try white asparagus but do not repurchase because they are not aware that white asparagus needs to be peeled before it is cooked or consumed,” she said.

Much of the white asparagus consumed in the United States occurs at restaurants prepared by chefs who know what they are doing.

“For our foodservice clients, we have something that will inspire chefs from September through December — one-pound tri-color asparagus,” she said. “The box contains four bunches of green and white asparagus and three bunches of purple asparagus. This gives chefs the chance to experiment and try something new during the holiday season.”

Ms. Varennes reiterated that consumption of green asparagus continues to outpace white, even on a percentage basis, because of this lack of familiarity. “The green asparagus category is growing faster than the white asparagus category. This is due to the America consumer’s lack of knowledge about white asparagus and how to prepare it.”

This year, Ms. Varennes said that Gourmet’s production schedule and volume have been very similar to previous years and should remain so as the season progresses into its peak production period. Like other importers, volume can triple during the peak fall months. This spike in supplies causes Gourmet Trading to expand its marketing reach.

“We sell Peruvian asparagus throughout the U.S. during the peak season,” she said. “During lower production we focus on selling Peruvian asparagus to the East Coast for improved logistics.”

Most asparagus from this South American country is shipped into the East Coast, with Miami being the favored port for most importers.

Like other importers, Gourmet Trading works with retailers throughout the country to help increase sales of this popular vegetable.

“U.S. retailers are utilizing weekly ads and price to promote Peruvian asparagus,” Ms. Varennes said. “These promotions tend to happen during the holiday season when Peruvian asparagus is at its peak. This is a great time to promote asparagus and display it as an alternative to green beans, carrots and other vegetables in holiday casseroles and side dishes.”