We’ve all heard that if March comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb, and vice versa. Whether that’s true or not, one thing is for certain: there will be a seasonal transition from the desert growing regions back north to Salinas and other points in northern California.
At one time this was a desperate period when products were in short supply and POs were cut or prorated, which left many gaps in supply.
How many times did the transition coincide with Easter shipping week? Oh, those were some tough days, as I remember.
Today, thankfully, many of the producers out west have improved their ability to meet demand, and increased supply of several vegetable commodities from the East Coast lessens the burden on one growing region through transition. This is a huge benefit to retailers.
For these reasons, March – which at one time was not in the top six out of 12 months for sales – is now a great sales target for retailers.
So don’t think of March as a weak sales period. The opportunities are there for the taking if planned accordingly. In fact, with college hoops madness, the start of spring, National Nutrition Month, National Celery Month, National Artichoke Heart Day (March 16), St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), National Spinach Day (March 26) and more, there are plenty of merchandising opportunities.
Everyone is gearing up for March Madness, and produce departments should be as well. Take advantage of the opportunity to capture extra sales with fresh produce each weekend of the NCAA college basketball tournament. The usual items will be in high demand, including fruit and vegetable party platters, fruit bowls, fresh dips, salsas – and don’t forget peanuts and pistachios, which are all customer favorites for the occasion. Get creative.
Can bracketology be used for menu planning? I’ve seen examples of Munch Madness!
Follow the lead from the School Nutrition Association as well, which joins K-12 school foodservice departments nationwide to celebrate National School Breakfast Week (March 2-6). Many schools celebrate Go for the Greens in March, introducing students to green fruits and vegetables – good food and good fun.
Retailers might consider connecting with local schools to find out what’s planned and carry promotions through at the store level.
Cabbage time and St. Joseph’s Day recipes
Green cabbage shipments increase 70% the week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, and retailers will be promoting green cabbage, coleslaw, sauerkraut and other forms of the cruciferous behemoth. I say behemoth because the late winter cabbage varieties that were always a hit with consumers in the Gulf Coast weighed in at six to eight pounds, but it is not uncommon to have 10-pound cabbage!
Whether prepared in soup, a casserole, boiled, smothered, or other recipe preparations that call for green cabbage, St. Patrick’s Day is one of the top-four events of the year for cabbage consumption.
The first day of spring is March 19, and it’s also St. Joseph’s Day. There are a lot of sales opportunities during this period for retailers that serve communities and parishes of the Catholic faith who partake in this tradition. Celebrants build tables, known as altars, filled with all sorts of foods, pastries, breads and more. Once the table has been built and filled, a priest will bless it, and after a time of viewing the food is donated to the poor.
It’s common to find cardone (cousin to artichoke), fava beans, cucuzza gourds and artichokes along with string figs, medjool and deglet noor dates in traditional Sicilian-Italian recipes.
New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Newark, N.J., have some of the largest concentrations of Sicilian-Italian communities. Fun fact: New Orleans (my adopted home state) was the first site in the U.S. where Italian immigrants settled in America, even before New York! St. Joseph’s Day altars are a tradition in New Orleans and elsewhere. This is just one example of a cultural celebration that involves food.
Retailers that know their market and customer base well can capitalize on these opportunities to connect and engage with shoppers and increase sales.