KINGSVILLE, ONTARIO - We, at AndNowUKnow, love this time of year. With back-to-school promotions and excitement in the air, our team eagerly awaits as our friends in fresh produce gear up to bring their innovations and creations to market. One company continuing to make waves in the industry and helping kids gear up for the school year is SUNSET®. The company is showcasing its new line of lunchbox-worthy snacking vegetables: Sprinkles™, Tiny Mighty Tomatoes™, and Qukes™, Tiny Mighty Cucumbers™ as parents and kids plan their meals and snacking opportunities.

“Sprinkles and Qukes combine premium produce with convenience and are designed to meet growing consumer and retailer demand for exciting vegetable snacking solutions,” Paul Mastronardi, President and CEO, and the fourth-generation family member to lead Mastronardi Produce, shared.

Millennials are truly leading the way in vegetable consumption, according to a press release, and SUNSET’s new bite-sized creations tap into the consumer demand for flavor, unique offerings, and differentiation.

"Demand for these products has been tremendous," Paul continued. "Our first crop of Sprinkles is fully sold out and we have more acreage planned in order to meet the requests of our customers.”

So what is the 411 on these delicious and nutritious delights? Sprinkles are a unique multi-colored, micro-grape tomato offering that explodes with sweet flavor and are sold in a unique tomato-inspired packaging concept. Qukes, the new smaller-than-mini cucumbers, pack refreshing flavor and a surprising crunch, making them fun and easy to eat.

SUNSET always brings a strong thought-investment to its portfolio and believes the “cute-factor” will drive impulse purchases, while their quality, flavor, and on-trend positioning will support sustained growth. And these are not just for kiddos' lunches in the household. The Sprinkles package was designed to hold the perfect amount of tomatoes for a salad and is available to retailers with a custom clip-strip to hang in the salad section, helping to cue this incremental usage opportunity.

With the perfect serving sizes in mind, Sprinkles are available in a 3.5 ounce package, and Qukes come in two sizes: a 1 lb family-size clam and a 12-ounce Topseal tray.

While my back-to-school days have long since past, I'm of the school of thought that believes that what inspires kids, inspires the kiddo in all of us still.

SUNSET®