CHILE - Milestones and increased retail sales are both key terms to our industry, translating into something being done right. In the case of the Chilean Kiwifruit Committee, both can be applied to its first-ever North American marketing campaign.

“Our program has produced double digit sales increases across the board. With historically high dry matter, Chilean kiwifruit tastes better than ever this year. We’re confident that if people buy our fruit once, they’ll have a great eating experience and come back for more,” Karen Brux, Managing Director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association, said.

Currently in full swing, the campaign will continue through September, having already marked more than 19,000 tons of kiwifruit had been shipped to North America as of Week 32.

The goal? To provide retailers with needed tools to drive Chilean Kiwifruit sales.

“There are so many choices in the produce department, so we need to make it as easy as possible for consumers to choose Chilean Kiwifruit. How does it taste? What role does it play in a healthy lifestyle? How do you choose a ripe kiwifruit? If it’s not ready to eat, how do you speed up the ripening process?” Brux continued, noting that while retail marketing and merchandising support is crucial, so is ongoing consumer communication.

It seems the strategy is a strong one, and the Committee said it is optimistic about growth opportunities in regard to North America.

“Our promotions are ongoing, but we’ve already seen the results of marketing great tasting fruit,” said Chairman Carlos Cruzat. “Consumer feedback and retail sales figures have shown us that there is great potential in the North American market. We’re looking forward to 2020 and how we can grow excitement for Chilean Kiwifruit!”

The Committee’s trade campaign has included everything from digital coupons and demos to sales and display contests at both regional and nationwide chains, according to a press release. Additionally, over 350,000 Facebook fans and more than 20,000 on Instagram show social media to be an effective channel for ongoing communication about everything kiwi.

Information and promotional tools can be found here.

For additional consumer engagement, the Committee added it is also running social media promotions throughout the season and working with registered dietitians for sponsored TV segments.

The Chilean Kiwifruit Committee, committed to growing and exporting consistently better kiwifruit year over year, continues to raise the bar for harvesting parameters. Product is available through October, so grab it while you can.

Fruits From Chile