VALENCIA, CA - Kung Hei Fat Choy everyone! Chinese New Year is upon us (on February 5, to be exact) and that means red paper envelopes, lion dances, niangao, and of course, oranges! A symbol of good luck, oranges are traditionally eaten during New Year celebrations, and Sunkist is bringing that good luck to retailers and consumers alike. With more and more customers looking to add citrus to their celebrations, Sunkist has stepped in to meet that demand.
“We’ve expanded our organic citrus portfolio,” Christina Ward, Director of Communications, shared with me. “There has been an increase in acreage for organic varieties, such as Cara Caras, Blood oranges, and mandarins, lending to the increase in production of citrus in these categories. Looking at industry trends, organic citrus continues to see strong performance and is up 6 percent from the prior year; organic mandarins overall had three consecutive seasons of double-digit growth in the 2018 season, with 2 lb bags proving to be most popular. Organic Navel and lemon sales are also strong, and we are seeing an increase in demand for specialty varieties, like our organic Cara Cara navels.”
Availability isn’t the only thing on Sunkist’s mind, as the company has designed limited edition packaging that is sure to entice shoppers. This year’s special packaging is a 10-pound “Year of the Pig” gift carton of Navel oranges, and the secondary display bins can be used to promote any Sunkist variety, especially pomelos.
Consumers have a plethora of options when it comes to their New Year’s citrus, including organic Navels, conventional and Meyer lemons, Star Ruby grapefruit, Cara Cara Navel, Blood oranges, California mandarins, and Minneola tangelos, all of which are available now. Available in promotable volumes now through February are organic grapefruit and organic lemons, with organic oranges amply available through May.
“This is a ‘promotable crops’ kind of season; our volumes are up across all citrus categories and retailers have an opportunity to promote categories they haven’t been able to in the past,” continued Ward.
Shoppers will be delighted to bring good luck into their homes with Sunkist’s stellar citrus, and the company has retailers covered with their creative packaging and wide range of citrus varieties.
AndNowUKnow will keep you updated on all Year of the Pig developments.
