Christina Ward Dishes on Citrus Retail Partnerships, Packaging, and Varieties
VALENCIA, CA - When I think of Sunkist citrus merchandising, I think of bright, bold colors and vibrant displays that keep retailers continually highlighting what is a vitamin C destination for many consumers and even more households than ever before. Sunkist is one company constantly driving change and growth in citrus, and this holiday season, the company will support this vision with tailored programs and consumer highlights to rival.
As Christina Ward, Director of Global Brand Marketing shares with me, now is the time to plan out fall and winter programs to ride the citrus wave into the new year.
“With our new shopper behavior insights, we’re focused on building relevant marketing programs with retailers that speak directly to what drives their citrus shopper by variety,” Christina says, relishing in the new data. “Sunkist offers customizable retail marketing programs, including point-of-sale (POS) materials, merchandising displays, digital and on-pack coupons, sampling, in-pack giveaways, social media, digital advertising, and influencer programs and nutrition education support.”
This season, Sunkist will be featuring nearly 40 different citrus varieties in California and Arizona, grown by thousands of multi-generational family farmers. First up is Sunkist’s holiday classic, the seedless and sweet Sunkist Navel orange. Also available are the team’s large and in charge Pummelos, snackable Sunkist Delite® mandarins, and lemons as well. Cara Cara oranges, a.k.a The Power Orange®, offer 100 precent of the recommended vitamin C intake and will start shipping at the end of November. Additional specialty citrus varietals will be available mid-December, including Blood oranges and Minneola tangelos.
Sunkist lemons are available year-round, and the company continues to offer a full lineup of organic citrus with specialty varieties such as Caras and Bloods, to complement retailers’ conventional portfolio.
“Mother Nature provided excellent growing conditions, nice crops with good sizing, and promotable volumes across the board. The fruit is eating well, and we’re seeing good consumer acceptance going into the season,” Christina expresses.
As we move through Thanksgiving and toward Christmas, Sunkist is offering a limited-edition How the Grinch Stole Christmas 10 lb carton with matching secondary display bins for the classic Sunkist Navel orange.
“We’re also looking forward to Lunar New Year with packaging and a secondary display for Year of the Ox. Plus, the Blood orange consumer carton will be back this year, along with a wide variety of square bins that open up cross-promotion opportunities for retailers to educate shoppers on vitamin C importance,” Christina adds. “All of our fruit is hand-picked with care and shipped to customers all over the world for shoppers to enjoy. Throughout the year, our sales and marketing team remain focused on providing excellent service and value-add for our retail partners.”
With a mission that states that everything Sunkist does is for its growers, it is easy to see why a partnership with these expanding ranks is a boon—come holidays or your average day, rain or shine.
