Nothing creates excitement in the produce department like a large display of fresh, whole jackfruit—the latest “it” ingredient. The Wall Street Journal just dubbed jackfruit as one of “The Next Hot Trends in Food,” (October 17, 2016) thanks to its appeal to vegetarians as a meat substitute. “You cannot miss a pile of jackfruit at retail—it’s definitely a ‘wow’ item that sets stores apart from the competition,” said Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s.
Due to its size and lack of signage or labeling, curious shoppers may have felt intimidated to purchase the large tropical fruit. At the recent PMA Fresh Summit in Orlando, Frieda’s introduced a solution with its new eye-catching large ElastiTag label, which showcases the jackfruit’s unique interior flesh while also explaining how to eat the giant fruit. Simple step-by-step instructions can be found on the reverse of the label, along with the URL to Frieda’s “How to Open a Jackfruit” video. Frieda’s new label is large enough to double as POS signage “like a wearable ‘take me home’ sign,” Caplan describes.
“What people may not realize is that fresh, ripe jackfruit is very sweet and fragrant and has qualities of many of your favorite, tropical fruits – all in one bite,” said Caplan.
“Jackfruit at retail can weigh anywhere between 8 and 25 pounds, so it’s important that both retailers and consumers know how to handle and prepare it,” said Caplan. “It takes time to extract the edible pods, but one jackfruit can yield a great amount of fruit, so we recommend sharing it with friends and family.”
Frieda’s suggests making jackfruit the center of the luau or island-themed party and inviting friends over to learn how to open the fruit together, sending guests home with their own portions. Allowing shoppers to process their own fruit, rather than fresh cut, gives them greater control over the shelf-life, as the pods tend to oxidize when exposed to air.
Frieda’s also offers labeled jackfruit in two packs—4 count (each fruit is 10 pounds) and 2 count (each fruit is 20 pounds).
Contact:
Oakley Boren
Tel: 714-733-7660