California Avocado Commission and Naturipe Farms Team Up

The California Avocado Commission (CAC) and Naturipe Farms are capitalizing on opportunities for California-themed and American-themed promotions with a multi-faceted co-marketing promotion that supports the California avocado season from March through October. Naturipe grows and ships California-grown blueberries in the April through July window. CAC kicked off the co-marketing activity by including recipes with Naturipe berries in the Wake up to Breakfast with California Avocados promotion. Recipes featuring both brands, including Avocado Blueberry Muffins and Power Breakfast Parfait, are included in recipe booklets available for retail displays. In addition these recipes are being promoted in CAC’s breakfast-themed online microsite and featured through social media outreach. “Co-marketing with another strong produce brand, Naturipe, and promoting innovative produce pairings such as avocados and blueberries encourages California avocado consumption and overall produce sales,” says Jan DeLyser, CAC vice president of marketing. To promote the concept of pairing berries with avocados, Naturipe will print recipes featuring California avocados on select berry packages. Naturipe blueberries are featured in a recipe for Avocado Pineapple Blueberry Salad, and Sweet and Savory Tilapia Tacos will be showcased on Naturipe strawberry packages. Both recipes will include a QR code for further recipe details and a shopping list to encourage instant sales and a higher basket ring. “The pride of California avocado growers and Naturipe berry growers shows in every bite of premium fruit,” says Robert Verloop, Naturipe Farms executive vice president of marketing. “While it may not be intuitive to promote berries and avocados together, the co-marketing recipes and programs that we have developed demonstrate just how well these two fruits are when combined.” In 2013 CAC has plans for strong advertising and promotional activity for the American Summer Holidays period of Memorial Day through Labor Day, with extra emphasis around 4th of July. A component of this program is a retail recipe booklet titled Have a Blast with California Avocados. Several of the recipes in the booklet include Naturipe blueberries, such as California Avocado Red, White and Blueberry Salsa and Avocado Banana Blueberry Bang. Both partners also will encourage avocado and berry consumption by spreading recipes ideas and nutrition news. Avocados and blueberries have some nutrition attributes in common, for example both are sodium-and cholesterol-free. Naturipe blueberries contain 4 grams of fiber per 1 cup serving; blueberries are also an excellent source of Vitamin C. California Avocados contain less than 1 gram of sugar per 1-ounce serving, and avocados act as a “nutrient booster” by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients in foods that are eaten with the fruit. All of these messages will be communicated in the Have a Blast with California Avocados recipe booklet, online and via social media.