You never fail to impress us with your innovative ideas, problem-solving skills, tech savvy and witty marketing campaigns. We have our suspicions: Companies that held back launching their new products and programs in 2020 really let loose in 2021. Check out the following list featuring a taste of your good work this past year. It was nearly impossible to pick a single winner for each category, so know that we were impressed by many more products than listed in this article. Still, we here at Produce Market Guide agreed the following ideas were stellar:
BEST NEW PRODUCE ITEM
Farmer's Selection greens from Bowery Farming, New York, N.Y.
Every four months, New York-based Bowery Farming releases a limited-time, small-batch green as part of its new Farmer's Selection product category. We were delighted by the green sorrel (tasted sweet and tart like a green apple) and baby broccoli rabe leaves (much milder than their older siblings).
“The Farmer's Selection category emerged as a way to let consumers in on our R&D discovery process, bringing the thrill of uncovering a new ingredient at your local farm stand to the grocery store,” said Katie Seawell, chief commercial officer, when the sorrel was released. With the company's newly opened research and development innovation hub for plant science, Farm X, has expanded its ability to focus on discovering new fruit and vegetable cultivars developed for indoor use.
Runners-up:
Picasso melon from Five Crowns Marketing, Brawley, Calif.
The new proprietary melon variety called Picasso cuts white instead of green or orange and has a very high sugar level. Launched in late spring, early summer, response was great even without sampling and similar in-person promotions. The outside coloring looks like a watercolor painting.
Pink-A-Boo pineberries from Wish Farms, Plant City, Fla.
Fully ripe when white with a blushing pink and red seeds, this pineberry tastes like a classic strawberry with a hint of pineapple. It's grown in Florida and should be available starting in December.
FAVORITE NEW VALUE-ADDED ITEM
Blueberries for foodservice from Naturipe Farms, Salinas, Calif.
Our hearts go out to restaurants struggling to survive the past two years, so we were already inclined to appreciate Naturipe Farms' “thoroughly washed and ready to use” blueberries for the reviving foodservice sector. The product is meant to reduce back-of-the-house labor. Available in 18-ounce and 32-ounce packs, these blueberries are contact-free and have a shelf life of 21 days. The convenient peel-and-reseal packaging also helps to avoid spills and food waste. Also, Naturipe reduces its plastic packaging through a Cultivate with Care program.
Runner-up:
Pulp retail products from Luv Fruit, Miami, Fla.
The Fresh Directions International company high-pressure processes, packages and distributes fruit pulp and guacamole. We love the idea of buying a package of mango, papaya or pineapple pulp for our smoothies, ice cream, pastries and other cooking needs. Hey, not everyone has time to slice a mango in the morning.
TOP PROMOTION:
Sumo Citrus
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Sumo Citrus went all out on extravagant, whimsical in-store displays nationwide. Our favorite among many wow-worthy displays was a Metropolitan Market display in which two Sumo Citrus fruits were ready to spar on the wrestling mat, surrounded by crowds of Sumo Citrus fans. Noticeable by its large size and easy-to-peel skin, Sumo Citrus is a hybrid brand of several varieties including navel, pomelo and mandarin. The fruit brand's promotions caught the attention of and feature articles with consumer media, such as CNN and lifestyle site Refinery29. United Natural Foods Inc. held a display contest with great sales results and 60 store participants. And in the digital space, the @sumocitrus Instagram account has almost 17,000 followers, but that's not what's so impressive: Many posts are from fans. There is a lot of engagement with this brand. Many posts have more than 1,000 likes and most have more than 100. We find the “top knot” slogan particularly fun, referring to the citrus' top knob, akin to the messy bun hairstyle.
GREAT REBRANDING:
National Mango Board, Orlando, Fla.
Several companies used this weird 1.5-year period of fewer in-person, public-facing initiatives to re-examine their focus and rebrand, changing their logos, websites, packaging and looks. While many of us have been as busy as ever, some of us have channeled that busyness into a time of reflection and retooling. Taking that opportunity really worked for mango.org. We absolutely love National Mango Board's new look. It's still fun, bold and colorful, but in a more modern, yet vintage way somehow. And same goes for the Mango Board's beautifully curated Instagram account, with its 18,600-plus followers.
Runners-up:
Nature Fresh Farms, Leamington, Ontario
Nature Fresh Farms' rebranding delights us as well, with its great typeface, red-barn logo and a website that's eye-catching as well as newsy and in-depth with its blog. You can get lost in that website for hours, in the best way.
AeroFarms, Newark, N.J.
AeroFarms trademarked a new catchphrase: “Agriculture, Elevated,” playing on its high-tech, vertical farm method. There's also the patented FlavorSpectrum, color-coded like the rainbow to reflect the tasting notes. The transformed website opens with a hyperlapsed video of growing microgreens and celebrity chef David Chang of Momofuku. The retail brand transitioned from "Dream Greens" to using the company name itself for sourcing transparency and name recognition for storytelling. The authoritative, modern, all-caps font has an “E” like the farms' vertical rows of greens, also hinting at the speedy growth rate.
FABULOUS MERCHANDISING:
Brian Dey, the senior merchandiser and natural stores coordinator for Ephrata, Pa.-based wholesaler Four Seasons Produce.
He's an industry veteran with a serious passion for helping produce teams achieve great presentation and results in their departments. It's hard to talk merchandising without mentioning Dey or our Produce Artist Awards Series judges — Joe Watson of Produce Marketing Association, soon to be International Fresh Produce Association, Armand Lobato of the Idaho Potato Commission with 40 years' experience in foodservice and retail, and Mike O'Brien of O'Brien Innovations, with 30-plus years in retail. Dey is a frequent winner of the contest series' top merchandizer category. Really, people. Hey, we know there are many talented merchandisers out there. We urge you: Give Dey a run for his money by challenging him and the judges.
AWESOME PACKAGING:
ReadyCycle Closed Pint Basket by Sambrailo Packaging, Watsonville, Calif.
The ReadyCycle closed pint basket, one of Sambrailo's newest offerings in its sustainable packaging line, is for companies switching from single-use plastic. It's designed for optimal transportation, tray fit, visibility and retail shelf appeal. You can customize the ventilation and branding anywhere on the packaging to share your story with the customer and also give recipe ideas and recycling or composting tips. These ReadyCycle products are all 100% recyclable and home-compostable, free of wax, plastic components and labels.
COOL SOCIAL:
Kroger, Cincinnati, Ohio
Kroger has a great TikTok presence, with almost 100,000 followers and 861,000 likes. It's mostly cooking videos, offering recipes such as corn fritters to use up extra ears of corn to “Puking Pumpkin Guac” for Halloween. The retailer's Instagram account has 165,000 followers, and it's streamlined according to its blue-brand aesthetic with a cute citrus-shopping cart logo. We've had fun trying out the Kroger Chefbot as well.
Runners-up:
AeroFarms, Newark, N.J.
This is the only large commercial farm we've found so far with an active TikTok account, and we like it. (Tell us about yours!)
Yes! Apples from New York Apple Sales, Glenmont, N.Y.
The fresh, playful and trendy Yes! Apples branding by New York Apple Sales features inclusive, colorful, contest-filled and engaging content on its Instagram account. There is always something new and innovative going on there, with GIFs and the latest social media trends. There is so much variety of content, yet it looks cohesive.
BEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE PIVOT:
We want to credit Baldor Specialty Foods, but that pivot from wholesale foodservice to home grocery delivery was in 2020. Same goes for United Fresh Produce Association's first virtual expo, the leading example for virtual conferences to follow. So, you're all winners for surviving 2020's tumult and 2021's supply chain issues. Dealing with perishables has honed your quick problem-solving skills, which paid off. Kudos. May your pivots of 2022 be happier ones — financially and for peace of mind.