DELANO, CA - The secret’s out: Produce is taking center stage in retail holiday merchandising. As the industry gears up to face booming shopper demand throughout the remainder of November and through December, I turned to Dave Watson of AC Brands, who shared with me how the launch of its organic grape label is answering this call.

“There has been an increase in demand for organic grapes, and we are growing to meet that need,” the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Columbine Vineyards began. “We intend to increase our offering year over year, as we’re always looking for ways to innovate in order to meet our customers and retail partners' needs. As you can imagine, the addition of Organic Holiday^® grapes was something we were eager to kick off this season.”

AC Brands, which manages several popular brands under Columbine Vineyards, including Holiday and Milano^® grapes, understands category management and merchandising and works in executing best practices with retailers on which to employ.

“Columbine Vineyards has always promoted the concept of having visibility at the point of purchase through the use of display bins, posters, and signage, especially around our proprietary Holiday grapes,” Dave shared. “This year, we expanded even further by debuting seasonal bags for Halloween and Thanksgiving, which both take place during the Holiday grape season.”

The season of Holiday grapes lasts through December, so retailers have the chance to capture shopper interest with this premium grape.

“Creating a separate display for unique items such as Holiday grapes helps catch consumers’ eyes and focus them on the key products retailers want to target during the holidays and beyond,” Dave explained. “This proprietary variety is an extra large, juicy, red-seedless grape, and we created high-graphic seasonal bags this year to help engage and excite the customer even further.”

Adding to its premium market value, Columbine Vineyards has achieved the Sustainably Grown Certification—something shoppers are constantly on the lookout for.

“We know that sustainability is increasingly important to consumers. Our company lives out these values daily, so we took steps to quantify our initiatives. As a result, we are proud to be the first table grapes producer in the United States to receive the Sustainably Grown Certification. For Columbine Vineyards, sustainability means prioritizing environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic stability in our farming and business operations. The Sustainably Grown Certification supports Columbine Vineyards' continuous mindset, paving the way into a more sustainable future,” Dave concluded.

As companies continue to pave the way to holiday retail program success, ANUK will be here to report.

AC Brands Columbine Vineyards