(Photo courtesy Blanc Vineyards)
Delano, Calif.-based Blanc Vineyards has started shipping grapes in packaging that features National Basketball Association league and team logos.
The company entered a licensing agreement with the NBA in large part to grab the attention of key shopper groups.
“We want to reach kids, moms and millennials, and working with the NBA is a great way to do that,” Jack Campbell, co-owner of Blanc Vineyards, said in the release. “They’re currently experiencing explosive growth. They have a huge social media following and they use it in ways other professional leagues don’t.
“The NBA is popular globally, not just in North America, and has a very diverse fan base,” Campbell said. “It is these consumers we’re targeting.”
Blanc Vineyards also sees the partnership as a chance to elevate its grapes in produce departments around the country.
“The NBA does an unbelievable job of highlighting their athletes, and we are applying the same strategy to the grape industry,” Campbell said in the release, mentioning the company’s Pristine grapes and other varieties Krissy, Ivory, Sweet Globe and Sweet Sapphire.
“By putting consumers’ favorite sport or team logo on our packaging, we’re able to instantly differentiate our products with a familiar and trusted name when they least expect it,” Campbell said. “That gives us a huge advantage at points of purchase and again for return sales.”
Blanc Vineyards is a joint venture of Delano-based growers Four Star Fruit and Delano Farms. The companies market grapes from May to January and together ship 20 million boxes per year.