California Grown's Angie Thomas Discusses Program, Expansion, and More
CALIFORNIA - When shoppers see the CA GROWN label on their produce, they’re likely to associate the fruit or vegetables they’re buying with high flavor and high quality. Which is why the work that California Grown does is so important.
Angie Thomas, Retail Consultant for California Grown, walked me through CA Grown’s current plans for expanding its reach and promoting California produce nationwide. 
“We are dedicated to promoting CA GROWN products throughout the grocery store and every month of the year; in whatever way makes the most sense for our retail partners,” Angie told me. “We want to be a part of key occasions such as harvest, the holidays, New Year’s celebrations, and also shoppers’ everyday purchasing and eating habits. Our focal point is integration; getting as many CA GROWN products throughout different departments and channels as possible.”
With October marking California Farmer and Farmworker Month, there are plenty of promotional opportunities at hand to spotlight the people bringing these products to market.
“Most people don’t realize that California provides more than 50 percent of the nation’s fresh produce; people in agriculture work tirelessly 365 days a year to ensure they can provide food for us to eat, and this is a moment to recognize and thank them for their work,” Angie noted. “It’s important that our growers can continue to provide safe, reliable, and plentiful food for the country. The retail community can show their support by highlighting food, wine, and flowers from California, so that their shoppers can in turn support our California producers.”
With a best-in-class marketing program at its disposal, California Grown creates custom content around recipes, nutrition, grower stories, and additional shopper marketing programs. It also provides digital and point-of-sale (POS) assets to its retail partners.
California Grown’s reach is expanding, as well, with plans in place to target new regions and grow the popularity of the Golden State’s products.
“We are initiating shopper research and aiming to leverage retail data where possible to better understand where these shoppers exist beyond California and how we can meet their needs.
Future market rollouts likely will be in the Northwest and Rocky Mountains, and eventually, nationwide,” Angie stated.
As a California resident, it’s exciting to see our state being represented to its fullest extent. ANUK will keep you posted on the latest from California Grown, so stay tuned!
