Promotions focus on
consumers, foodservice
12/24/2014 09:42:00 AM
Doug Ohlemeier
Doug Ohlemeier
The Florida Strawberry Growers Association
plans to continue sending baskets of berries to Northeastern weather
forecasters during winter to boost consumer awareness of Florida’s season. It
also plans to promote the state’s berries through banners on semitrailers
driving from production regions to Northeastern cities.DOVER, Fla. — Florida’s strawberry growers
plan to promote their fruit to consumers throughout the East Coast through
billboards and social media as well as through a partnership with the Florida
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
In the Florida
Strawberry Growers Association’s new partnership with the Tallahassee-based
agency’s division of marketing, the association pays for growers’ Fresh from
Florida memberships and allows growers to pack fruit bearing the agency’s Fresh
from Florida logo.
Identifying with the
successful national retail marketing program should help increase sales because
studies show consumers want to food labels to show where the product is grown,
said Sue Harrell, director of marketing.
“There’s a growing
trend toward buying local,” she said. “We have seen the research that shows
value in identifying Fresh from Florida, particularly during the winter months
when we are the most locally grown berries on the Eastern Seaboard.”
Kenneth Parker,
executive director of the strawberry association, said the partnership will be
important in publicizing the availability of Florida’s berries at retail,
including Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets Inc. and Jacksonville-based
Winn-Dixie Stores Inc.
“The partnership is
vital to our success,” he said.
“The commissioner of
agriculture has taken this Fresh from Florida campaign personally. He’s stepped
up with increasing resources to help Florida’s growers. They can get in places
where we can’t because we don’t have those dollars.”
To remind motorists of
Florida strawberry production, the association plans to fund billboard advertisements
that read “Fresh, local and in stores now” placed in seven heavily traveled
locations along the state’s major interstate highways.
Last year, the
association placed billboards in 22 East Coast cities but is limiting this
year’s advertising to Florida, which has a large population of out of state
visitors, Harrell said.
Through a partnership
with a local trucking company, the association plans to promote that same
message on four semitrailers driving from production regions up I-95 and I-75
to northeastern cities.
To encourage Florida’s
snowbird visitors to purchase strawberries, the group is working with several
Tampa area restaurants.
In a Valentine’s Day
promotion, the Renaissance Hotel in Tampa plans to supply guests strawberries
during check-in while Ulele, a trendy Tampa restaurant run by the owners that
operate the famed Columbia Restaurant, plans to serve Florida strawberry ice cream
and strawberry craft beer.
To show appreciation for growers, the downtown
Tampa restaurant has scheduled a private Jan. 4 ice cream social.
“People from all over the world are in our
area during the winter,” Harrell said.
“Even though we’re doing something local with
this promotion, we’re promoting strawberries to people coming from all over the
U.S. They don’t even know we’re growing just 15 miles east of them.”
The association is planning other restaurant
promotions and Harrell visits with New York food magazine editors and food
bloggers, and one of those food media outlets plans to visit the growing region
for berry photography.
To interest consumers in purchasing
strawberries during the middle of the northeastern winter, the association in
February again plans to send local television weather forecasters baskets of
Florida strawberries.
The promotion remains popular as the anchors
enjoy discussing the benefits and taste of the berries and also enjoy eating
the fruit on the air, Harrell said.
The agency plans to increase its social media
presence, where it wants to engage mothers buying fruits and vegetables for
their children to talk about what they plan to do with the items, Harrell said.
Studies show if a recipe is made with an
unfamiliar item, many are more apt to purchase that item in the stores because
they now know what to do with such products through social media and food
bloggers, she said.
While most know strawberries are good in
desserts, shoppers can learn about more creative menu uses in main courses,
salads and other dishes, Harrell said.
The more the industry gets people talking
about Florida strawberries, the more aware they’ll be of Florida’s season and
more likely to buy Florida strawberries, she said.
Nice Post...!! Thanks for sharing.
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