Fairtrade and Fairtrade organic blueberries from Interrupcion Fair Trade’s suppliers Argentina and Chile will be available in solid supply on the North American market from now until March.
The programme, titled Taste Me Do Good, presents an opportunity for high quality product at promotable volumes during the autumn/winter window, according to a press release from Interrupcion Fair Trade.
“Having organic blueberries during the Argentina timeframe is extremely unique and it gives us the ability to start off strong and continue right through Chilean availability,” stated Rafael Goldberg, CEO of Interrupcion Fair Trade in Brooklyn, New York.
“We’ve been scaling our programme for the last seven years and this year we’re expecting volume to almost double.”
Interrupcion said it is riding a “huge wave of consumer interest” about where food comes from, how it affects our nutrition and health as well as the world from environmental and social perspectives.
“We see very strong growth in blueberry consumption, especially in organic berry consumption and huge growth in fair trade products and values,” Goldberg explained.
“Retailers can combine the Taste Me Do Good message with the interest in berry consumption in general to yield an exciting and successful promotion during this extended marketing window.”
According to statistics from United Fresh, the market saw a 40 per cent rise in organic berry sales in the fourth quarter 2012, compared with the same quarter in 2011.
The Organic Trade Association in 2013 also reported that 81 per cent of US families are buying organic and four in ten are buying more organic than the previous year, according to Goldberg.
The Fairtrade market in the US is worth US$1.3bn, according to the Fair Trade Almanac 2011, and Spins 2011 reported that overall Fairtrade sales were up 75 per cent in 2011.
Meanwhile a market survey conducted by BBMG in 2010 reported that 67 per cent of Americans believe it is important to buy products with social and environmental benefits.
“Taste Me Do Good blueberries drive sales at retail by combining all these hot button issues,” Goldberg noted.
“Our retailer partners can use this great high quality item with unique availability and compelling volumes in a consistent in-store programme. It gives them a way to differentiate themselves with competitors and the rest of the market.”
Interrupcion is offering a variety of Taste Me Do Good promotional support including ready-to-go shelf talkers and display materials, as well as custom-make materials for specific customers.
Additionally, the organisation is providing the opportunity to conduct a demonstration-tasting programme for interested retailers.
Interrupcion will also be actively pushing consumer education and media content through its QR codes, website and Facebook.
“We have some unique consumer facing animation and video content to tell the story in a fun and exciting way,” Goldberg noted.
