SALINAS, CA - The celebration of Mother’s Day is the perfect time to make sure you have an ample supply of fresh berries in your produce aisles. As consumers flock to the supermarket to get their hands on all varieties of berries, CarrieAnn Arias, Vice President of Marketing at Naturipe Farms, shares some exciting ways the company is setting its buy-side partners up for success in the popular category.

“Holidays such as Mother’s Day fall at the beginning of our berry peaks when the fruit is exceptional,” says CarrieAnn. “To support our customers, Naturipe offers retailers a variety of different marketing assets, from digital advertising opportunities to in-store display signage and recipe development.”

To make it easier for shoppers to get inspired by berries, and therefore easier for retailers to merchandise, Naturipe has put together several prime recipes perfect for celebrating Mother’s Day, and to enjoy throughout the summer.

“Our blueberry guacamole recipe marries two of consumers’ favorite produce items in one delicious side dish. In addition, now is the perfect time of year for retailers to promote chocolate-dipped strawberries using Naturipe Long Stem Strawberries. And, no Mother’s Day celebration would be complete without a strawberry shortcake treat for mom,” explains CarrieAnn. “Retailers can cross-merchandise strawberries with angel food cake, whipped cream, and chocolate to give shoppers a one-stop-shop for delicious Mother’s Day desserts.”

Supplemental to cross-merchandising, Naturipe urges retailers to stock up displays with a colorful array of berry varieties to increase impulse buys and promote further exploration of the category by shoppers.

“When consumers see blueberries next to strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries, they are more likely to pick up more than one or substitute one for the other, rather than opting out of the entire category if they aren’t feeling their go-to berry that week,” CarrieAnn tells me. “BOGO in-store promotions also help retailers increase shopper dollars.”

Along with the plethora of merchandising opportunities, now is an optimal time for buyers to load up on berries as Naturipe has continued to see growth in dollar and pound sales across the category. As CarrieAnn explains, markets have been very strong and are significantly higher than last year.

Naturipe is currently anticipating strong, promotable volumes with the expectation that pricing will come back to normal ranges for the month of May, and as the company enters into the warmer months, demand will continue to increase.

“2020 saw berry consumption increase by more than 10 percent, and we expect that this strong trend of increased consumption will continue,” CarrieAnn says. “The best way for retailers to take advantage of this is to make sure berry displays are well stocked with high quality berries in multiple pack sizes.”

You heard CarrieAnn—add some extra color, and register rings, to your produce aisles this summer by loading your displays with Naturipe berries.

Naturipe Farms