D'Arrigo Brothers Puts Side Dishes in the Spotlight this Thanksgiving
NEW YORK, NY - D’Arrigo Brothers, a full service distributor of fresh produce in the Northeast, is looking to bring focus to sides this Thanksgiving, calling on its customers to give thanks for the fruits and vegetables that make up so much of a Thanksgiving meal.
“For far too long, some of the most exciting produce of the season has been forced to play the role of simple accompaniment to a turkey that hogs center stage on so many Thanksgiving tables, and that has to stop. Americans need to realize how much of the meal is comprised of all that is NOT turkey,” said Marketing Director Gabriela D’Arrigo, in a press release.
The company is keen to highlight some of the ways in which fruits and veggies are already a big part of our holiday experience:
- Cranberries enjoy an annual harvest of almost 860 million pounds—five times the weight of the Empire State Building
- 40 million green bean casseroles are expected to be served this Thanksgiving, 60 million pounds of the side—more than the weight of the Intrepid Air/Sea/Space Museum
- More than 3 billion pounds of sweet potatoes will be harvested this year—the weight of 36,000 NYC subway car
- Approximately 1.31 billion pounds of pumpkin are produced annually, and they’re made into the roughly 50 million pumpkin pies eaten each Thanksgiving—enough pie to stretch from Harlem to the Battery and back 315 times
- To meet the needs of Brussel sprouts enthusiasts each Thanksgiving, the U.S. turns out 32,000 tons of the vegetable each year, the weight of 142 Statues of Liberty
- Celery is key for stuffing. The U.S. produces 950,000 tons of celery every year—the weight of two Freedom Towers
- Carrots wind up in stuffing, salads, casseroles, and on their own. 2.3 billion pounds of the year-round staple are harvested each year; if laid out they would reach around the circumference of the world—24,874 miles
Retailers looking to boost sales this season can take note of the enormous opportunities veggies offer them and help prove that they don't play second fiddle to turkey.
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