Say it with citrus: Grower reports strong supply of specialty citrus for Valentine’s Day and Super Bowl promotions

With spring holidays just around the corner, Fowler, Calif.-based Bee Sweet Citrus reports a strong supply of lemons and specialty varieties available to help retailers market the citrus category.

“This year, Super Bowl Sunday and Valentine’s Day are two days apart — providing our customers with a massive opportunity to promote the citrus category at the store level,” Bee Sweet Citrus Director of Communications Monique Mueller said in a news release. “Both holidays capitalize on snack and food items, and our team has the varieties needed to meet consumer demand.”

For retailers looking to push the citrus category in February, it’s important to capitalize on events like Super Bowl Sunday, according to Bee Sweet Citrus sales representative Sergio Rodriguez.

“Cross-marketing our lemons near other items like chips, avocados or beer can help entice customers to purchase them while shopping," Rodriguez said in the release.

Related news: Valliwide Organics sees bigger volume

Football fans typically consume dips and salsas during Super Bowl Sunday. Not only are lemons a staple ingredient for many of those recipes, they’re also an excellent cross-promotional item for other items across the snack, produce and beverage categories.

In addition to lemons, Bee Sweet Citrus has cara cara navel oranges and blood oranges in time for Valentine’s Day promotions.

This season, Bee Sweet’s blood oranges debuted under the company’s new label, Royal Red Oranges. The new design and name are the company’s latest attempt to use its packaging to educate shoppers about the packaged variety and call out its unique characteristics.

“There’s no better time to market blood oranges and cara caras than during Valentine’s Day,” Mueller said in the release. “Their gorgeous internal hues match the holiday’s pink and red color scheme, and their sweet flavor makes them an excellent addition to desserts, cocktails and more.”