Halloween is not often thought of as an event for fresh produce. It's candy that grabs the attention, and if there are fruits and vegetables that are involved, it's usually limited to carving pumpkins and bobbing for apples. But with the Freaky Fruits campaign, Melissa's Produce wants to use Halloween to introduce to consumers often-overlooked tropical items.
“We started the Freaky Fruits promotion last year to expand beyond the pumpkins and gourds that dominate Halloween,” said Robert Schueller of Melissa's Produce. “There are all of these tropical fruits available at this time, and they all have an unusual appearance.” There are about 20 varieties of fruit that Melissa's has included in the promotion, and that's on top of the pumpkins, decorative gourds and peppers, which Melissa's is promoting for Halloween as being 'so hot, they're scary.'
“A lot of retailers like to decorate for Halloween, and now they can include tropical fruit in those decorations,” said Schueller. “We help decorate produce departments for U.S. retailers who participate.” The promotion includes recipe pads with instructions on how to turn exotic fruit, like dragonfruit, rabutan or buddha's hand, into innovative displays for Halloween. Examples can also be found on Melissa's Produce website here.
“A lot of retailers have jumped on board for their promotions before Thanksgiving,” said Schueller. “This can bring out awareness of tropical fruit and communicate with consumers about how to use these items. For someone who's never tried buddha's hand or longans, this is a good, fun introduction.”
For more information:
Robert Schueller
Melissa's Produce
+1 800 588 1281