ORLANDO, Fla. — The energy at this year’s Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure was palpable as industry leaders gathered to showcase the future of the produce aisle. The following highlights from the show floor capture how top brands are leveraging premium packaging, fair trade storytelling and new product categories to capture the modern consumer’s attention.
Taylor Hazelwood, vice president of sales for Sun Belle, says a trend she’s seeing is the evolution of the berry category and berry marketing.
“Anything that’s larger in size, the jumbos, the premium lines,” she says. “You’re seeing a little bit of a hit on convenience. You’re starting to see that come into play in some of the packs.”
Hailey Clark, marketing director for Sun Belle, says the berry category looks to pull in new shoppers.
“You have your traditional berry shoppers, but what about the person who is willing to spend a little more for a pack that they can throw in their kids’ lunchbox and they know it’s healthy?” she says.
Clark says Sun Belle seeks to keep not only its core customers happy, but it also looks to new consumers excited to try new flavors and eating experiences.
“It’s still healthy, it’s still reliable, it’s still a great option, but what can we do differently? What’s exciting?” she says. “I think the berry industry is diving into that a lot now, and it’s really fun, and we can do that through packaging, we can do that through variety-specific berries, through branding.”
Clark says branding helps build consumer loyalty.
“People look for brands; they become loyal to a brand if they have a really spectacular experience,” she says. “They want to look for that label again.”
Equifruit celebrates its 20th anniversary in a big way at the SEPC event with a caricaturist sketching booth visitors.
Kim Chackal, co-owner and vice president of sales and marketing for Equifruit, says that as the fair trade organic banana company marks its “Bananaversary,” many people are surprised to learn the company has been in existence for that long.
“We did a great job building brand awareness,” she says. “We have great feedback on marketing. People see the Equifruit booth as a destination, and people understand the brand.”
But the focus now turns to how fair trade organic bananas can help lead the category into more growth, Chackal says.
Whitney Lett, supervisor of retail and international trade for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, says Southern Exposure is a chance to reconnect with current partners and discuss promotions and plans.
The show is also about maintaining relationships, and she says she’s met with new retailers who learned about the programs available at the show.
“It’s night and day when you see them in person,” she says.
While a lot of the conversation at the Jim Rash booth focused on watermelon and a visit from both the Florida and national watermelon queens, many visitors talked about strawberries, says Jill Barton, president of Jim Rash.
“It’s a new commodity for us,” she notes.
Barton says Southern Exposure is a favorite event of hers, adding that she loves to connect with everyone at the show.
“This show is different because of the Southeast Produce Council,” she says.
