Cauliflower's familiar white florets make a regular appearance on supermarket shelves. Of course, there are other varieties of cauliflower that customers see less often in big stores. One of those varieties is the Romanesco. This type, with its spiraling green florets, can sometimes be seen in farmer's markets across the US, especially during summer. Steinbeck Country Produce, based in California, wants to expand the Romanesco's presence in the market.
"The Romanesco is a newer category for us," said Ethan Stewart of Steinbeck. "We have been producing it commercially for the last several years now, adding to the colored cauliflower which has been part of our line for the better part of the last decade. It is a different seed varietal and enjoys a temperate climate, very similar to cauliflower and broccoli. At this time of year, we start production out of Yuma, ending our Salinas season until next Spring."
"Steinbeck aims to see Romanesco have a greater exposure in the market," he continued. "We want to make it more available to customers and to give them an additional and interesting vegetable to add to their recipes."
Social media and high-end retail as keys
To help promote the Romanesco, Steinbeck says they are using social media as a discovery tool for customers to get to know more about the Romanesco, as they have successfully with colored varieties of cauliflower. Encouraging more retailers to highlight and market the vegetable's flavor profile is another strategy they have used to promote the product.
Stewart said that year-round production assists with ensuring a steady presence in the market at all times of the year. "Our Romanesco program is year-round," he said. "The visual appeal as well its delicate nutty flavor is another factor that attracts people to buy Romanesco and retailers are encouraged to promote these aspects. The use of social media is an important tool in promoting any type of vegetable, whether that means posting recipes, or simply an eye-catching photo of the product. At the end of the day, shoppers like to try new ingredients and it's a case of helping them find those new ingredients and suggesting ways to use them."
Category growth encouraging
Stewart said that Steinbeck has seen the category of specialty cauliflower perform well against our line of vegetables. With Romanesco, they are hoping that continued production as well as a more permanent place in the market will see the vegetable have a stable presence for customers. "We have had amazing success, with tremendous growth in the category since its establishment," Stewart continued. “The cauliflower category as a whole has continued to experience year over year growth and it is on trend as a vegetable carb substitute. Steinbeck looks forward to maintaining our market position as a leader in cauliflower production and marketing and we believe Romanesco is a natural progression is moving forward within the category."
For more information:
Ethan Stewart
Steinbeck Country Produce
Tel: +1 (831) 754-1577