Todd Greiner Farms Reveals New Asparagus Packaging

Todd Greiner Farms has revealed a new packaging design in preparation for the mid-May season launch. The 12-ounce “microwave in the bag” packaging was designed to attract impulse purchases by consumers looking for quick and easy meal ideas in the produce department.

“We believe the new packaging optimizes freshness, taste and convenience, and will be a strong selling point for our retail partners,” says Todd Greiner, CEO and president of Todd Greiner Farms. “Today’s busy consumer loves fresh healthy food, and now it will only take two minutes in a microwave for consumers to enjoy our ‘farm-fresh’ asparagus.”

Todd Greiner Farms’ new asparagus packaging was designed to capitalize on broader consumer demand for meals and snacks that are convenient, fresh and healthy. In research prepared for Michigan Asparagus, 29 percent of shoppers surveyed stated they are purchasing more asparagus compared to last year. In fact, consumer consumption now exceeds 1.5 pounds per consumer, per year. National retailers substantiated these data trends in a separate survey, showing growth in both asparagus sales and profit during the past three years. Moreover, the move towards “value added” products such as microwaveable packaging not only increases returns to the grower, but also adds dollars in category sales for retail partners.

“Innovation is critical to the success of not only our operation, but the growth of the category and consumer consumption,” Greiner says. “We understand that our responsibility is to help the retailers bring value-added solutions that can address the needs of everyone.”

The Michigan asparagus season typically runs from early May to late June and promotable volumes are expected for Memorial Day. In addition to its locally grown, domestic pedigree, Michigan asparagus is also known for being “hand snapped” versus ground cut. The end result of this harvest technique is an all green, all edible spear with more shelf appeal and more total yield per spear.