LEAMINGTON, ON, CANADA - In the digital spirit United Fresh LIVE! is spreading, Pure Flavor^® is making a cyber launch of its own to coincide with the trade show’s debut. To help consumers harness their inner culinary skills, and retailers be the go-to for that harness, look no further than the Craft House Collection, a line of greenhouse vegetables, "grown for the chef in you."

“To coincide with United Fresh LIVE!, we are launching new items into our Craft House Collection that now includes Mini San Marzano Tomatoes, Long Sweet Peppers, Shishito Peppers, and Baby Eggplants,” Chris Veillon, Chief Marketing Officer, shares with me. “Consumers can explore the vibrant and flavorful recipes crafted by our chef partners to create unique and memorable dishes at home with the greenhouse-grown vegetables.”

Initially launched in the Spring of 2019 with Craft House Mini San Marzano Tomatoes and Aurora Long Sweet Peppers, the program expanded to include Baby Eggplants in late Fall 2019 and Shishito Peppers in Spring 2020. Now, this new product assortment will be promoted via a new branded landing page that will provide detailed brand and product descriptions, sample packaging, Chef-approved support, brand videos, and much more to add to the line’s growing reach.

Beyond the Craft House Collection, which the team assures retailers will have an immediate impact in-store, Chris says Pure Flavor is taking the opportunity United Fresh presents to highlight core products and topics the company is known for, such as its Georgia Grown Program, snacking veggies, organics, and year-round growing programs.

“We have always taken our presence at United Fresh to the next level,” Chris explains. “The virtual space now allows us to showcase more of our strategic marketing talents by creating an enhanced virtual experience to not only inform, but engage the attendees throughout the week.”

With barbecue season in mind, the Pure Flavor virtual booth’s creative presentation will primarily showcase the Craft House Collection, all of which, Chris promises, are more than grill worthy.

“Consumers are looking for meal alternatives, and with social distancing restrictions slowly starting to lift, it is the perfect time to promote grilling and getting people who have been cooped up for months outside to entertain,” Chris reminds me. “To inspire this, attendees visiting the booth will be able to view product videos, info sheets, and be able to download content to use at a later time.”

And for those of us missing the on-the-floor dishes we love to sample, Chef Rick Panaigua will be creating Craft House Collection inspired recipes Monday–Thursday at 2 p.m. EST via ZOOM.

“When a chef falls in love with a product, you can be sure they will tell you about all the features and benefits if it's one of their favourites. By going beyond the package, we give greater product value to help ensure the consumer understands how to best use that item and with what,” Chris shares.

To put it simply, Chris tells me Pure Flavor is creating an I.C.E.-based approach with Craft House—inform, connect, educate—that retailers can then take and implement throughout their own produce departments.

“While we are disappointed that we could not have a face-to-face event in San Diego, California, our team has fully embraced the opportunity to create a unique and engaging presentation for United Fresh LIVE!,” Chris sums up. “We also encourage all of our teams—Sales, Marketing, Procurement, Finance, Food Safety, Operations, etc—to take part in the various sessions throughout the week. It’s a great opportunity to meet others in the industry, network with suppliers, and to learn more about topics and trends that impact the fresh produce industry as a whole.”

All this and Chris assures me that the team continues to develop unique vegetables in its product trials to further expand the Craft House Collection’s range of products. To see where that line stands now, be sure to register and attend United Fresh LIVE! next week, June 15–19. To see where it’s going, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.

Pure Flavor^®