VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA - A new table grape program is in town, and it’s one that boasts of two powerhouse produce players: Oppy and Ocean Spray®. Expanding its footprint into the Southern Hemisphere, Oppy’s new program offers retailers a 12-month consumer brand with expansive organic options.
“Oppy’s grape program continues to evolve in exciting ways to meet the market demand,” Bill Poulos, Director of Import Grapes and Stonefruit. “Our program is incredibly varied and comprises a mixture of new, exciting varieties that help attract new consumers, as well as tried and trusted favorites that are always a hit. Now offered under the immediately familiar and top-quality Ocean Spray brand, our customers can truly refresh and reenergize their grape category.”
The overall program spreads across several global growing regions and includes a wide range of proprietary varieties, a press release noted. Ocean Spray grapes are offered in a variety of packaging options, including high-graphic bags as well as 2 lb and 3 lb clamshells. The company will also offer its first-ever organic Fair Trade Certified green and red seedless grapes, and earlier this year, Oppy further expanded its product portfolio by becoming an importer of the organic green seedless Arra 15 variety from Peru.
For retailers looking for promotable volumes, these will be available now through February to support various buy-side needs. These volumes are made possible by the combined offerings from Chile, Peru, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, and California.
Oppy explained that its sales of Fair Trade grapes have already seen aggressive growth, increasing by 137 percent from the first half of 2018 to the first half of 2019. A Fair Trade partner since 2004, the program’s premiums go toward supporting essential infrastructure in grower communities including healthcare, education, fresh water access, and more. The workers who produce Fair Trade Certified produce determine the allocation of premiums, thus empowering communities toward sustainable development.
As more consumers shop ethically, having a Fair Trade program helps differentiate between other programs at retail.
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