MONTEREY, CA - When it comes to fresh, flavorful spotlights, attention often goes to fruit categories. With natural sugars proving that healthy eating can be both comforting and flavorful, Duda Farm Fresh Foods is helping turn the tide on how vegetables are seen—making them a star of the produce department. Its flavorful creativity earned the team the 2025 Besties award for Best Social Media Culinary Artistry.

“We are always looking to inspire usage of celery, but also usage of all our products. How can we best display them to consumers, so they remember our message?” Nichole Towell, Senior Director of Marketing and Packaging Procurement, tells me when reflecting on what inspires the Duda Farm Fresh Foods team. “How can we make shoppers feel like the hero at home with what they put in their basket?”

When it comes to executing this vision, she shares how Duda always wants to align with what is most relevant to consumers in the moment, from monthly and seasonal posts to important food and cultural holidays.

“Our team does monthly photoshoots and strategic checkins to stay on top of trends. We are coming out of pickling being top of mind while the weather is warm, which aligns perfectly with our radishes. We are banking on new ways to use the product, inspiring those who never would have thought to pickle these veggies,” Nichole explains.

Duda knows firsthand the peaks and valleys of social media stardom, having been directly impacted by the celery juicing fad that rippled through the internet in 2018.

“Celery juicing bumped a niche up into the awareness of the average consumer. The wave did go down the way trends come and go, but it also brought in a newer, younger consumer—so it was a good thing in the longevity of celery consumption,” Nichole points out. “Any fresh vegetable has an opportunity to become mundane or more in the shoppers’ eyes. We eat what our parents made for us, but there are ways to do more, so we are constantly trying to reinvent enjoying Dandy products.”

Thank you to our Besties Committee for your time, dedication, and insight. Your contributions are deeply valued. Each year, our team compiles the Besties ballot with nominations across all award categories, and our committee votes to determine the winners.

This year, the committee voted on every category except Retailer of the Year, Best Marketer to Work With, and the Lifetime Achievement Award—three honors selected by our leadership team due to their special significance.

Congratulations to the Duda Farm Fresh Foods team on catching the eyes of our judges and team with your culinary artistry!