With spring upon us and the weather warming up, Sunkist Growers is going to highlight the many different varieties available to retailers this time of year by serving them to convention-goers at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association trade show in some unique ways.

“CPMA is a special tradeshow for Sunkist because it offers us the opportunity to welcome springtime in Canada with bright, fresh citrus,” said Advertising and Public Relations Manager Joan Wickham. “We are looking forward to showcasing spring citrus varieties and merchandising ideas for our Canadian trade partners in Calgary.”

Sunkist Meyer lemons.One of the items topping its spring lineup is the Meyer lemon. Sweeter than conventional lemons with a rich golden skin and a beautiful, floral aroma, Wickham said consumer demand for the product has been escalating in Canada as supplies increase and Canadians become more familiar with this unique lemon variety. Some believe the Meyer lemon is actually a cross between a mandarin orange and a lemon. To showcase this distinctive variety to CPMA attendees, Sunkist will be serving a Shrimp Cake with Meyer Lemonaise sauce as a well as a Snowdrift Meyer Lemon cocktail to highlight the versatility of this fruit. Sunkist offers Meyer lemons year-round, with strong supplies during the springtime months.

 Sunkist will also be serving freshly-squeezed California Star Ruby grapefruit juice as that grapefruit is in season from late March through July. “CPMA is a perfect venue to talk to Canadian retailers about merchandising this nutrient-rich citrus variety,” Wickham said.

Sunkist continues to educate younger consumers about the health and weight loss benefits of citrus along with promoting modern usage tips from at-home mixology to do-it-yourself beauty with the “Not Your Mother’s Grapefruit” program. This effort is specifically aimed at increasing consumption among millennials.

Sunkist will also be featuring seasonal specialty varieties like Gold Nugget variety mandarins, a late-season mandarin named for its bright, beautiful bumpy rind with deliciously sweet flavor, and Ojai Pixie tangerines, another springtime specialty variety, named for the lush Ojai region of Southern California where they’re grown. Pixies are small in size, seedless and intensely sweet. Sunkist plans to ship Gold Nuggets and Pixies through May.

At its booth, Sunkist will be featuring its new point-of-sale material, designed to make the bright, beautiful citrus shine, as an aid to in-store retail promotions. Addressing retailers’ needs for quick turnaround and promotional flexibility, Sunkist will be displaying its fully customized secondary display bins. These new quarter bins, which hold 60-80 pounds of fruit, are easily assembled and can stand alone or be used to create a waterfall display off standard produce department tables.

Though specialty citrus is important, one of the nation’s oldest grower cooperative is not forgetting to promote the traditional navel orange to Canadian buyers. Wickham said the co-op will be sampling a recipe titled Orange Chicken with Noodles and Peanut Sauce to demonstrate the versatility of Navel oranges to the trade. Navel oranges, always a consumer favorite, are in season through June.

Rounding out its offerings, Sunkist will also be showcasing Cara Cara Navel oranges, a variety quickly growing in demand, known for its pink flesh and intensely sweet flavor. Sunkist expects to ship Cara Caras through May this year.