"Paramount Citrus renames its Cuties "Halos"
Paramount formerly sold its easy-peeling fruit under the Cuties label, but that deal ended when the company dissolved its nearly decade-long partnership with fellow citrus grower Sun Pacific in Exeter.
As part of the breakup, Sun Pacific acquired the smiling Cuties trademark for an undisclosed sum.
Sun Pacific plans to continue using the Cuties label, while Paramount rolls out its rival brand through a series of marketing campaigns in television, print and online. Paramount will also continue to sell mandarins through a partnership with the Fresno-based Fowler Packing.
Paramount Citrus, part of the Roll Global family of companies headed by billionaire businessman Stewart Resnick and his wife, Lynda, plans to invest $20 million a year over the next five years to get consumers familiar with the new name.
To help boost brand recognition, Paramount has brought its mandarins under its Wonderful line of products that includes pistachios, almonds, and pomegranates.
Paramount is the industry's largest grower of mandarins with 14,000 acres planted, primarily in the San Joaquin Valley.
"It was the Roll Global marketing team that transformed mandarins from a seasonal commodity into one of America's most popular produce brands," said David Krause, president of Paramount Citrus. "Our plan for Halos is no less ambitious. We will continue to be the market leaders as we commit significant resources to turn Halos into a household name."
Like Cuties, Halo mandarins will be available in the produce aisles of grocery stores and sold in three and five pound bags and five pound boxes. The light blue box will have the brand's new label, complete with a smiling mandarin character with a glowing halo on top.
Source: fresnobee.com
