LOS ANGELES, CA - As the company continues to make strides in its organic portfolio, Giumarra Companies is gearing up for SEPC’s Southern Innovations Organics and Foodservice Expo, which will be held September 6-8, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in the aptly nicknamed Music City.
Regional Business Development Director Kristina Lorusso joins me in the lead-up to the show to discuss her excitement, Giumarra’s offerings, and the company’s vision.
“The versatility of our organic program is going to be on display at Southern Innovations. We want to show retailers that our organic avocado program is as robust and sophisticated as our conventional offerings,” Kristina tells me. “We will be showing retailers how to be innovative around their organic avocado category with multiple sizes, multiple stages of ripeness, as well as bags and bulk, and in such a way that real sales growth is an attainable goal.”
With the growth and demand in the avocado category all around, I ask Kristina how she sees the organic aspect of the program really taking off in the market.
“We know that demand for organic produce is growing year-over-year, so we’re getting an impressive ‘double whammy’ of growth in the organic avocado category,” she shares with me. “Data also shows that shoppers who purchase organic and shoppers who purchase avocados spend more per trip to the grocery store than the average shopper. The organic avocado category lifts the produce department as a whole.”
Kristina adds that, with avocados, there are several key educational pieces that should be shared with consumers, including year-round availability, how to select/store, usage in both sweet and savory recipes, and nutrition.
“Avocados are nutrient-dense and fit well into a variety of dietary niches, including vegan, ketogenic, paleo, and gluten-free,” she notes. “Our goal is to offer our retail partners customized marketing materials that highlight all the benefits of avocados, with a focus on nutrition, quality, and flavor. These include grower stories, recipes, point-of-sale and digital/social marketing materials. For packaging, we offer both bulk and bagged fruit.”
Giumarra provides its retailers with the same outstanding quality, the same premier service, and equally as many options on organic as the company does with its conventional products. Able and willing to work with retailers who are newly adding organic as a part of their avocado sales strategy, Giumarra helps customers ease into a manageable avocado program. And for those who are already involved with organic, Giumarra can help take their category to the next level of sophistication.
“Once again, our ability to offer versatility sets us apart,” Kristina concludes.
With all the hype around Southern Innovations, I already have my cowboy boots packed and Nashville on the calendar.
