CORRECTED: Lone Star’s Winter Sweetz see sweet success

Mission, Texas-based Lone Star Citrus Growers’ Winter Sweetz grapefruit enjoyed a successful third season of sales and promo efforts.

The brand’s 12 Days of Sweetz promotion in December offered a new prize 12 days in a row via Facebook to encourage consumer interaction, according to a news release. Social media and other related promotional efforts netted the company 4,500 new consumer database contacts, according to the release.

“We’re fully committed to continuing to grow our marketing efforts because we want people across the country to experience what we know to be true — that Texas Red grapefruit truly is the sweetest and most delicious,” April Flowers, director of marketing, said in the release.

Winter Sweetz also partnered with five nationally-known bloggers on 13 seasonal recipes, which earned it more than 2 million brand impressions, according to the release.

Lone star Citrus plans to show off Winter Sweetz in the Viva Fresh Produce Expo Innovation Showcase, April 5-7 in San Antonio, as a finalist for Most Innovative New Fruit Product and Most Innovative Packaging or POS Solution, according to the release. The company is scheduled to exhibit in booth 79.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the nature of the consumer contacts Winter Sweetz received.