As macroeconomic pressures and shifting demographics reshape consumer buying habits, the modern produce aisle is no longer just a destination for raw commodities. Today’s shoppers are demanding elevated flavor profiles, instant culinary inspiration and effortless convenience without sacrificing value.
Leading this retail evolution are three 2026 Packer 25 honorees — Bobby Chacko, CEO of Bonduelle Americas; Robert Schueller, director of public relations for Melissa’s Produce; and Robert Veilleux, vice president of produce and floral operations for Heritage Grocers Group — who are leveraging convenience, trendspotting and cultural merchandising to transform how produce moves from store displays into consumer carts.
At the center of this transformation is the rise of value-added fresh products designed for time-starved households. Rather than viewing prep convenience and tight grocery budgets as opposing forces, produce suppliers are finding that consumers willingly trade for solutions that save time, provided the quality and experience justify the spend.
“Consumers are demanding more from convenient meals, and that creates a real opportunity in the produce aisle,” says Chacko. “It’s about making healthy, plant-rich food easier to enjoy without asking consumers to compromise on taste, quality or convenience. That’s how we think about innovation at Bonduelle: ready-to-eat salads, bowls and fresh meal solutions that bring together vegetables, protein, great flavor and convenience.”
To capture those dollars during inflationary stretches, suppliers must look inward to protect price integrity.
“Consumers are watching every dollar, but they’re also putting a value on their time,” Chacko notes. “Our job is to earn that place in the basket by delivering more than convenience — a satisfying, delicious meal with great taste, quality and nutrition at a price that makes sense. That puts pressure on us to take cost out of the system, not value out of the product.”
Behind the scenes, protecting that value proposition requires stringent cold-chain discipline and packaging advancements.
“With fresh produce, every hour and every degree matters,” Chacko says. “That’s what B!Quality, our signature approach to Food Safety & Quality, is about — building quality and food safety into every step and continuously improving how we do it. We’re reducing the time from harvest to cooling, moving product faster to our plants and maintaining the cold chain all the way to the customer. We’re also optimizing the atmosphere inside the package, including oxygen transmission, to protect freshness and extend shelf life. Quality isn’t created at the end of the line; it’s protected every step of the way.”
While CPG convenience secures daily basket space, specialty items and social media engagement are sparking excitement and velocity. Specialty produce is experiencing a resurgence as shoppers seek out novel flavor experiences, with variety fruit leading the charge.
“Variety Pineapples — there are many varieties that serve different purposes (sweetness levels, non-acidic versus acidic fruit and size) are trending in the marketplace in the last few years, such as Pinkglow, Royal Colada, Honeyglow, Precious Honeyglow, Baby Pineapple and Rubyglow,” says Schueller.
To convert curiosity into register sales, suppliers must equip retailers with omnichannel education tools. Schueller points to customized POS signage and banners, QR codes on signage directing to the website for further information and recipes and comprehensive tools the company provides to retailers regarding information about Melissa’s Produce, including seven accessible cookbooks. Furthermore, social media acts as an immediate sales accelerator.
“@melissasproduce is one of the most aggressive posters for a produce supplier in the U.S. and you will see the @melissasproduce is one of the most loved/liked, followed and reposted produce companies in the USA too,” Schueller says.
When viral food trends take off, agility is everything.
“We can take a trending produce hack, enhance it within days and share it with retailers to boost sales,” Schueller says. “For instance, an ‘ice cream watermelon’ hack went viral this summer with over a million views. We adapted the concept using cream with watermelons, pineapples and mangoes, which helped drive sales across our entire specialty lineup — including yellow, orange, pink and baby varieties.”
Simultaneously, demographic shifts are changing the face of supermarket merchandising, requiring specialty and ethnic retail banners to adapt to multigenerational shoppers without losing cultural authenticity.
“Produce merchandising for the Hispanic markets [is] very different in many areas, but the most significant difference is that merchandising for the Hispanic consumer must include mainstream items, such as ready-to-eat, grab-and-go and convenience,” says Veilleux. “We can no longer place all of our eggs in the first-generation customer base. We must expand our offerings to include all generations of the Hispanic customer but still stay true to their culture.”
At the same time, overcoming industry misconceptions around ethnic retail sourcing is key to building lasting consumer trust and high turnover.
“Trust the customer to make the right decision,” Veilleux says. “There is a misconception from many in the industry that to sell to the Hispanic customer, you must offer ‘lesser quality products for a cheaper price.’ That ship sailed. Every customer wants to feed their families with good quality produce. Our job is to make sure there is a value and affordability program in place as well.”
Ultimately, driving long-term produce growth across all sectors requires shifting supplier-retailer dynamics toward shared investment.
“You must end the thought of ‘We are the vendors’ customers’ and begin a new mindset of ‘we are the vendors’ partners,’” Veilleux says. “That will open the doors to true transparency, risk-taking, product ownership and investment from both the vendors and the retailers.”
