ORLANDO, FL - It is never too early to start planning California table grape programs at retail. Come the whisper of spring, I hear this comment often. With the California Table Grape Commission (CTGC) already bustling with the upcoming season, SEPC Southern Exposure provides the perfect time to elevate the conversation around the popular category during the February 25–March 1 event.
“The California table grape industry grows 99 percent of the U.S.-grown grapes,” President Ian LeMay shares with me. “With over 80 varieties of table grapes grown in California, there is incredible volume of tasty, healthy, and happy grapes for retailers to promote to their customers, summer through winter. The Commission is proud to highlight Grapes from California at SEPC Southern Exposure.”
Looking at the near horizon, California grapes are available starting in May and running through January, with the commission team ready and eager to partner with retailers to ensure they have active promotions from summer through winter.
“Grapes from California are excellent for summer, fall, and winter promotions and sought after by consumers for their incredible quality and impressive health benefits, thus California grapes are a reliable and remarkable product for retailers,” Ian discusses.
When I ask him why the Southeast Produce Council makes such an impact on the CTGC’s operations and the category as a whole, Ian reflects on how SEPC is all about relationships.
“The Southern Produce Council is an important partner for the California Table Grape Commission, and the commission has been a longtime participant in the Southern Exposure show,” Ian explains. “By facilitating opportunities to meet with retailers and foodservice buyers at shows like Southern Exposure, the Southeast Produce Council has helped the commission secure California grape promotion programs that move volume season after season.”
Stop by SEPC Southern Exposure booth #830 and visit CTGC’s Kathryn Hearn, Retail Marketing Manager; Eddie Reynolds, Marketing Director; and Maria Howarth, Senior Global Marketing Director.
The CTGC invites all retailers and foodservice buyers to stop by the booth to discuss how season-long promotions of Grapes from California can move volume and boost sales.
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California Table Grape Commission
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