Chelan Fresh Launches 2013 Marketing Strategy
Chelan, WA-
By ANUK Staff
1.14.13
Chelan Fresh Marketing, based out of Chelan, Washington, announced the launch of a vigorous marketing campaign that includes a partnership with The Laughing Cow cheese products, continued focus on the NFL and the National Dairy Council’s Fuel Up to Play 60 in-school program and increased production of the acclaimed Orondo Ruby cherry variety, according to a press release.
Marketing Director, Mac Riggan commented. “In January and into mid-February we are working closely with the Fuel Up to Play 60 team to keep youngsters on the right track for nutrition,” Riggan said. “We know fresh fruits and vegetables along with a nutrient-rich diet are good fuel for their bodies, giving them the energy to go out and play for at least 60 minutes each day.”
3-pound bags of apples and Anjou pears bearing Fuel Up to Play 60 info and links will be ready for the New Year.
Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school health and wellness program founded by the National Dairy Council and NFL in collaboration with the USDA, to empower youth to make positive changes to improve physical activity and nutrition at their school, and for their own health. The program’s customizable components include interactive tools and in-school promotional materials. Nearly three quarters of all the schools in the US are currently enrolled, with the potential to reach more than 38 million children.
“This year’s NFL season has featured NFL PLAY 60 ads on every field during televised games, sometimes actually painted on,” Riggan continued
January will also mark the launch of the company’s marketing partnership with The Laughing Cow, Riggan said. Three- and 5-pound bags of apples will be closed with oversized Kwik Loks, and the Loks will have printed $1-off coupons for The Laughing Cow cheeses.
“The coupon is redeemable at check-out and will be on all our poly bags and some of our mesh,” Riggan said. “This adds real value for the consumer, and we’re featuring the program through April. We expect to move 1 million bags with the coupons.”
Chelan Fresh will begin to heavily promote its new Orondo Ruby variety as the cherry season approaches, Riggan said.
“We are excited about this season, and we anticipate 40,000 packs of the Orondo Ruby, which will be double what we did in 2012,” he said.
Noting its durability and flavor, Riggan said, “It is such a special eating experience, a truly beautiful piece of fruit with white flesh and full color outside. The sugar is very high, but it also has a high acid that gives it an exceptional flavor. The information we’ve received from retailers is that it was really well-received in 2012, and we’ll begin shipping it the third week of June this year.”
The operation’s new marketing coordinator, Kathryn Grandy, will work alongside Riggan. Grandy came on board in late November 2012, with 25 years’ experience in high-level marketing under her belt.
Grandy’s marketing studies were done at the University of Utah and Sloane School of Business at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She spent a number of years working with AT&T, Glacier Bancorp and Bayer Pharmaceuticals, and during the year prior to her joining Chelan Fresh, she worked at Gebbers Farms, overseeing training and web-based development.
Grandy studied marketing at the University of Utah and Sloane School of Business at MIT. She has spent time at AT&T, Glacier Bancorp and Bayer Pharmeceutical, and Gebbers Farms, where she oversaw training and web based development.
At Chelan Fresh she will take charge of social media efforts, with the goal to bridge an expanded web site. The company’s Facebook presence has been enlarged by several thousand “likes” since Thanksgiving 2012, and CFM is also moving into Pinterest and Greenspan, she said.
In the near future, Grandy said she will work to make CFM a major player on Pinterest in the areas of basic recipes, health, fitness and even art.
“I know the female market, and there are also closet male Pinterest users,” she said. “The other extension of this effort is that people want to use particular produce in their meal planning. We’ll work to deliver unique ideas to them.”
