Sunkist Growers has announced that it is celebrating the return of the citrus season by highlighting new shopper behaviour trends and category management solutions at this year's virtual PMA Fresh Summit, which takes place from 13-15 October.
“We’re excited to meet with customers and share what we have planned for our new season,” said Jeff Gaston, managing director of North America sales at Sunkist Growers. “Even though we are apart, it is great to see the industry come together to celebrate nutritious foods. At Sunkist, we’re all about providing value-add to our retail partners to keep the citrus category going strong.”
According to Information Resources (IRI) data, the entire citrus category grew by 20 per cent over the previous year.
More specifically, in May, orange sales were up 73 per cent, and there continued to be strong momentum throughout the summer.
“Shopper behavior and consumption trends are continually evolving,” noted Cassie Howard, director of category management. “Sunkist commissioned a study to go a step further and understand why consumers are buying citrus now more than ever and how together we can keep the category top-of-mind.
'The results are exciting and our team is ready to build relevant marketing programmes with our retail partners, speaking directly to what is driving their citrus shopper by variety.”
With nearly 40 fresh citrus varieties, the Sunkist portfolio includes oranges, lemons, grapefruit, mandarins, tangerines and tangelos.
“Consumers rediscovered their love for citrus and vitamin C this year, and emphasised the importance of shelf-ability in the fresh foods they are buying,” said Christina Ward, director of global brand marketing at Sunkist. “As a result, we continue to expand our nutrition education programme to build awareness of the health benefits and nutritious attributes of our fruit, while offering at-home cooking inspiration and citrus-forward snacking options.”
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