Fresh Summit 2015: What Blew Us Away

14-Main_Post-AD_FS15BlewUsAway-1This year’s 2015 Fresh Summit was chock-full of signals that branding is becoming a primary focus for forward-thinking fresh produce companies seeking to communicate their value not only within the industry, but also with the ever evolving and socially-conscious fresh produce shopper.  During the 2015 State of the Industry address, Bryan Silbermann and Cathy Burns underscored the importance that branding has and will continue to have on the success of our industry. 

During the presentation, they referenced a Nielsen report available early next month that reveals “dollar share of branded produce has climbed from 36 percent to 48 percent in the last five years. This can be attributed to innovations in packaging, as well as marketing partnerships between retailers and suppliers looking to break through the advertising noise from other foods.” The report also states that CPG companies are attracted to fresh produce due to its “health halo,” resulting in more partnerships or possible outright acquisition as part of the drive for more fresh ingredients.

These findings underscore the importance well-planned branding strategies offer the fresh produce space. As we move further away from our commodity-centric roots, we can start to understand that a brand is so much more than just a logo – it’s your identity 24/7. Your brand is what people connect to when they see your products in-store, at an event or how they feel when they engage with you online. We chose to focus on different approaches to branding in Atlanta in 2015 and here’s what blew us away:

New Brands Revealed at Fresh Summit


Frieda’s Specialty Produce

FriedasWith a concerted effort to reach Millennials, Frieda’s matched their fun, funky selection of specialty produce with equally fun and engaging branding.  With a well-established presence in the industry, the company understands the importance of building a brand with shoppers as well. From what we saw before and during the show, from the new logo, to purple Vans, individually messaged t-shirts and personalized business cards, the Frieda’s team and booth reflected a true brand personality – unique, yet cohesive in every way.

We interviewed Alex Jackson, Account manager with Frieda’s to get the scoop on what lead the company to rebrand. For the full story, complete the form at the end of this post.

SunripeSunripe Certified Brands by Pacific Tomato Growers

After growing fresh fruits and vegetables for nearly 100 years as Pacific Tomato Growers, Sunripe Certified Brands announced the launch of their new company and product brand prior to Fresh Summit and showed up ready to make the connection from past to present on the show floor.  From very sophisticated messages illuminated at every corner of the booth to newly branded coffee cups, this was a company on a mission to make their mark with show attendees and new potential customers.

Winter Sweetz™ Grapefruit by Lone Star Citrus Growers

April Flowers, director of marketing for Lone Star Citrus Growers, will tell you that Texas Red grapefruit is one of the sweetest, most delicious varieties of grapefruit in the country, yet the category has struggled in the produce section during recent years. The problem is that shoppers do not know the WinterSweetzblogdifference between red, white and pink grapefruit, much less where they came from and what that has to do with their flavor. Lone Star Citrus recognized this need and developed the Winter Sweetz™ grapefruit brand after extensive research into the category and its consumers. We spent some time with April during the show to discuss their thinking and evolution of the Winter Sweetz™ brand. For more about Winter Sweetz™, complete the form at the end of this post.

SakataInfinite Gold by Sakata

Infinite Gold, a new cantaloupe variety from the seed experts at Sakata, made a big splash before and throughout Fresh Summit with clean branding and straightforward messaging that directly addresses Infinite Gold’s target audiences’ needs.  PR outreach, digital advertising, high-visibility sponsorships and a consistent presence throughout the Fresh Summit event delivered a well-orchestrated introduction for a product that exists in a struggling category. We feel Sakata’s efforts will bode well for the new product and help the overall cantaloupe category shine once again.

Pazazz™ Apples by Honeybear Brands

Pazazz-161450-editedAs you walked down the center aisle of the show floor, you couldn’t miss the impactful presence provided by Honeybear brands for their new Pazazz™ Apple variety. Simple and clean, the launch of this new variety didn’t use any gimmicks or hooks to get you into their booth – all they needed was the taste of a Pazazz™ apple to reel you in! This booth serves as a great example of what careful planning for your position on the show floor can do for the launch of a new variety that is so good, it can sell itself. After one bite, we found ourselves asking where we could get one and were thrilled to learn that we will start seeing the Pazazz™ label on shelves as early as January in the Dallas-area, giving other sweet treats a run for their money.

Refreshed Branding

Though the companies above did a standout job at creating and unveiling a completely new brand – it’s important to note that branding doesn’t always mean that you have to start from scratch. Sometimes a simple brand refresh will work wonders for your overall story. Here are a few refreshed brands unveiled at Fresh Summit that stood out on the show floor:

Mission Produce

New_Mission_Logo_PMSMission Produce showcased a modernized new logo design reminiscent of the brand’s heritage using a fresh, contemporary styling to more accurately reflect the company’s best-in-class avocado production.  Along with a new logo and booth design, Mission Produce launched a new website to better communicate their 32 year old brand story and reflect their position as one of the world’s leader in producing, distributing and marketing fresh Hass avocados.

mission

QueenVictoria_Logo_CMYK
Queen Victoria and Coast King by Ippolito International

Ippolito International debuted the recent rebrand of their Queen Victoria and Coast King line of vegetables. As North America’s largest supplier of fresh Brussels sprouts, leadership wanted a brand identity that reflected the quality and value-add attributes of the company’s growing product line. Along with a new brand, Ippolito showcased their new line of packaging and a revamped booth design that reflected the team’s passionate enthusiasm for Brussels Sprouts and other vegetables they grow.

CHEP

CHEP-380309-editedCHEP blew us away with the addition of bright and colorful iconography in their booth and across their sales materials to incorporate a modern image into their already well-known and established brand within the industry. The additions made a huge impact visually, and provide CHEP with opportunities to continue to use the iconography through visual touchpoints in their marketing beyond Fresh Summit. Though the overall brand itself didn’t change, this branding addition helps to solidify the image that CHEP is a modern, forward thinking brand in our space.

Grimmway’s TRUE Organic Juice

Grimmway Farms celebrated the one year anniversary of their TRUE juice Grimmwayline by updating the product’s brand identity to include “ORGANIC” in its name. The juice now positions TRUE ORGANIC™ on the label based on market research that lead the company to conclude that featuring organic as a part of the brand’s image was essential to reach their target consumer audience. Along with the new brand, the company released new juice flavors at the show that appeal to the millennial generation of juicers, and further demonstrates how fresh brands can communicate their social responsibility stories to consumers.

Seald Sweet

SealdWe were absolutely taken aback by the new and sophisticated Seald Sweet booth located on the main aisle of the show.  Versus the standard display of products, Seald Sweet showcased their citrus products in beautifully crafted floral collages carefully along the side of the structure.  The design of their booth was so inviting, simple and elegant. And from what we could see, great for conducting business!

Brand Extensions and In-Booth Excellence

Even if your brand isn’t due for a refresh, branding is still an essential part of your presence and impact at a tradeshow as large as Fresh Summit. We were also blown away by several brands that communicated their brand image through multiple touchpoints across the show floor and aligning themselves with high-profile celebrity brands and extremely well-thought out booth designs.

SUNSET

SUNSET Produce

SUNSET Produce is regularly recognized for their overall marketing prowess, but what caught our attention this year was their ability attract the Fresh Summit audience while simultaneously highlighting their consumer marketing efforts.  SUNSET pleased customers and other attendees alike with celebrity Chef Roger Mooking’s cooking demos, SUNSET television, quick bites from the Flavor Tour food truck, and a fun and unique alternative to cabs and Uber.

At the same time, they seamlessly showcased their upcoming product-specific consumer campaign and sweepstakes, Feed the Stache, launching November 1.  This cause-inspired promotion supports the Movember movement and conveys the many health benefits of their Simply Unique, BROWN Tomato™, the Kumato™.  Fill out the form below to get more details on branding excellence at 2015 Fresh Summit.

Duda Farm Fresh Foods

ChefTodd-840033-editedBrands align themselves with chefs in various ways at Fresh Summit each year; however, Duda has created a draw by aligning their brand with a big personality that returns to their booth to cook year after year. Chef Todd Fisher is a strong representation of the Dandy® brand values and voice, and his consistent presence at Fresh Summit and other industry events has made him an extension of their brand. Chef Todd created delicious and extremely unique recipes like Bacon Corn Chowder with Celery Ash that drew traffic and buzz back to their booth. Duda also launched their new Dandy® snacking line, which continues to emphasize the brands dedication to supplying healthy snacks on-the-go or at home.

SUJA Juice

SUJAWhen you’ve got a good product and a good story behind it, it will serve your business well to spread the word in as many ways as you can.  SUJA Juice may not be new on the cold-pressed juice scene, but they’re marketing efforts are pulling out all the stops to tell their unique story with every touchpoint. Their kitschy-but-clean booth conveys their San Diego and skateboard delivery roots and it was enough to stop Fresh Summit attendees in their tracks.  We were drawn in by engaging and knowledgeable booth personnel, including Jody Scott Cnossen, who detailed the SUJA story and even followed up with a well-done video link (see below). Top that off with a super cool, patent-pending business card-slash-free product coupon and SUJA’s juice and story left a great taste in our mouths.

More Branding Insights:

Are you as inspired by these branding stories as we are? Then you may be eager to learn more! Fill out the form below to download more information from our conversations with April Flowers at Lone Star Citrus, Alex Jackson with Frieda’s and the SUNSET Produce team to get a more in-depth look at their branding strategies and execution.