(Feb. 5) MINNEAPOLIS — The second piece of the two-stage marriage between the Minneapolis-based Sholl Group II and Monterey-based Colorful Harvest LLC is now set, having consummated a deal in which the latter will market artichokes, avocados and berries for the former.

The Sholl Group II launched Colorful Harvest as an independent sales company last summer.

“We’re excited to expand the brand,” said Don Goodwin, chief operating officer for The Sholl Group. “Research has shown that the consumer gives us credit for consistent quality.”

Colorful Harvest anticipates first-year volumes of 2 million packages for berries and about 1 million each on avocados and artichokes, said Doug Ranno, a partner in the firm. The company will ship the productsyear-round.

Product will come from about seven growers in California and Mexico, Ranno said.

For the Sholl Group, the move is the latest in its wave of growth, Goodwin said.

“We’re doing a tremendous amount of expansion,” he said. “We think we’ll double the size of the company in the next three years. We’ve had a tremendous amount of interest from shippers and retailers to expand the (Green Giant Fresh) brand. Retailers are looking for ways to differentiate themselves and brands are one way to do that.”

The Sholl Group markets about 25 million cases of Green Giant fresh products each year through deals with 15 shippers, Goodwin said.

Among the products available under the Green Giant banner this year are:

• Value-added vegetables through Taylor Farms of California, Salinas.


• Potatoes and onions from Potandon Produce LLC, Idaho Falls, Idaho.


• Commodity vegetables through Growers Express, Salinas.


• Carrots via Bolthouse Farms, Bakersfield, Calif.


• Sweet potatoes through Wayne E. Bailey Produce Co., Chadbourn, N.C.


• Tomatoes from DiMare Fresh Inc., Dallas.
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• Mushrooms, via Modern Mushroom Farms, Avondale, Pa.


• Apples, pears and cherries through C.M. Holtzinger Fruit Co. Inc., Yakima, Wash.


• Value-added green beans, from Americus Bean Co., Americus, Ga.


• Value-added greens through Wendell Roberson Farms, Tifton, Ga.


• Berries, avocados and artichokes via Colorful Harvest.

The Sholl Group later this year is planning to market:

• Stone fruit through New Leaf Tree Fruit Co. LLC, Traver, Calif.


• Grapes from King Fresh Produce Co. LLC, Visalia, Calif.


• Citrus via DiMare Fresh Visalia.


• Cabbage through Cabbage Inc., Westlake, Ohio.

Goodwin noted that the brand recognition of Green Giant would be a boost for Colorful Harvest’s lineup, which already includes several products grown from proprietary seed strains.

“We think that it’s a very natural transition for the consumer in these categories because they give us great credit for consistent quality,” Goodwin said. “The brand has 91% brand recognition.”

Shipments of the new Green Giant products are under way, Ranno said. The product is offered in a consumer pack that feature cooking instructions.

The berry lines feature strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and other varieties, Ranno said.

Colorful Harvest’s own line of products includes red corn; carrots with a higher-than-average sugar content; purple cauliflower; and purple broccoli.

The company also has an Earth’s Harvest line of organic vegetables.

“The Green Giant brand is really important to us and always has been because it brings the consumer brand-equity and appeal to our program,” Ranno said.

Food-safety standards also play into the equation, Ranno added.

“Right now, when everyone is worried about food safety and security and everything, national brands add that sense of comfort to the consumer and positions people to feel pretty good about an area, department enhancement and store enhancements,” he said. “It affords stores to maybe get into a situation where they can use national brands to improve their image. That’s where we have had some good feedback.”