SACRAMENTO, CA - ’Twas the eve of St. Valentine’s and all through the store not one display was empty, it’s produce galore! From berries to apples to tomatoes, consumers’ hearts will flutter as they step into the produce aisle tomorrow. But how can a holiday bogged down by chocolate be turned on its head? For many of our industry pioneers, fresh fruit is the only star of the show on February 14. Take a peek at the inventive ways that these companies have taken over the grocery store for Valentine’s Day…

Chris Veillon, Chief Marketing Officer, Pure Flavor®

“Valentine’s Day can be all about impulse buys—everything from flowers to chocolates to gift cards to your significant other’s favorite restaurant or spa. What is trending in a new direction is the movement away from the ordinary commodity-based items to specialty items—things that are elusive or even highly sought after. Sweet sells, so why not merchandise and market like-minded ‘fresh’ items that do just that, keeping people in the category to avoid sending them to the center of the store for something prepackaged in a dark box that they can’t see. Fresh sells! Sweet, greenhouse-grown snacking tomatoes are the easiest and the most flavorful, like our Juno Bites Red Grape Tomatoes!”

Cindy Jewell, Vice President of Marketing, California Giant Berry Farms

“This year we are all lucky to have Valentine’s Day on a Friday so that we can celebrate all weekend long. Strawberries are the perfect celebratory fruit since they are red and shaped like hearts. We know there is retail and consumer demand for stem berries and will be supplying our key accounts as best we can to ensure they have successful holiday sales. Displays with lots of choices on berry types and pack sizes, along with some chocolate on the side, will help to add sales at the register.”

Catherine Gipe-Stewart, Communications Manager, Superfresh Growers®

“One of our favorite holiday go-tos is creating healthy apple cookies in a holiday shape. The first batch we ever did was Autumn Glory cookies in the shape of hearts. Cross merchandise apples with festive sprinkles next to them to inspire kitchen fun! These are very easy to do with little kids, and a great way to increase consumption with children.”

CarrieAnn Arias, Vice President of Marketing, Naturipe Farms

“Valentine’s Day is a great holiday to promote berries! Strawberries are a classic to dip in chocolate for your loved ones and blueberries are in peak season. Our customers have found success using eye-catching graphics and in-store signage that informs shoppers about the peak of season and holiday promo. Retailers can also encourage shoppers to buy berries with recipe suggestions for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack occasions. We recommend recipes that are easy and quick to assemble because they speak directly to the needs and values of on-the-go consumers.”

There’s still time to paint the produce aisle red and pink! Get moving you fruit and veg purveyors, for now is the time to steal the hearts of consumers. Until next year, Happy Valentine’s Day to all, and to all a good day!