Beltraide, Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The Belize Labor Department and the Belize Youth Business Trust choose Fruta Bomba as a nominee for Employer of the Year.
The criteria for their choice was the employer's:
- focus on safety
- community involvement
- morale
- employee benefits
- HIV/AIDS workplace policy
Accepting the award for Fruta Bomba was Ismael Gonzales. Congratulations Fruta Bomba! Excerpts from an article in The Packer Tropical Fruit Marketing special sections by Abraham Mahshie published on 04/23/2010 10:00AM
Tropical fruit marketers are employing a wide range of strategies to increase consumption this year, ranging from traditional signage and in-store sampling, to appealing to social responsibility and community engagement.
Mary Ostlund, marketing director for Brooks Tropicals Inc., Homestead, Fla., said stores should consider promoting two foods at once to show how tropicals can be used in nontraditional ways.“I put a thin slice on top of a hamburger,” she said of the company’s green-skinned avocados. “Right after you’ve turned (the meat) on the grill, it allows (the avocado slice) to melt ever so slightly.”
Excerpts from an article in The Packer special section Tropical Fruit Marketing by Abraham Mahshie published on 04/23/2010 11:23AM
Marketers of tropical produce say that while demand in ethnic markets remains strong, mainstream consumers also are gaining new interest
For many Asian and Hispanic cultures, tropical fruit and vegetables are a staple part of their diet. Even when prices rise, they will still buy the foods they are accustomed to eating, suppliers said.
Mary Ostlund, marketing director for Brooks Tropicals Inc., Homestead, Fla., said that a produce section must have variety and address the demographics of a particular store’s community to be successful.“
If you are not addressing every single part of your community — ethnic Hispanic, Asian or folks who are wanting to try something new and different — then you are losing those sales to someone else,” she said. “It’s not what do you carry, but how do you carry it.”Ostlund said knowing how to carry tropicals means understanding what the right mix is for your store to address the needs of its consumers. She added that Brooks works with buyers to design a specialized produce mix.
Excerpts from an article in The Packer special section Tropical Fruit Marketing by Abraham Mahshie published on 04/23/2010 11:42AM
Nutrition is a top selling point for tropical fruit suppliers, who are scrambling to publicize new health benefits to strengthen category growth.Suppliers increasingly seek out research studies about disease-fighting characteristics, labels like “super fruit” and wellness benefits predominant in fruit when making their case for increased consumption.
Mary Ostlund, marketing director for Brooks Tropicals Inc., Homestead, Fla., said Brooks has enlisted a nutritionist to write a column featuring a different one of the company’s products each month. “I always tout the benefits of eating tropical fruits and vegetables, but it’s time to get someone who is really knowledgeable about what you need in your diet,” she said of the new column written by nutritionist Donna Shields, author of “Caribbean Light,” a book about cooking with tropical fruits and vegetables.
Ostlund said the column provides recipes that help consumers to think of Brooks’ items in a different way, like adding starfruit to a Thai salad instead of just using it as a garnish.“It might be cheaper to buy frozen or canned vegetables, but I think the health consciousness has uprooted or trumped that feeling and it’s better to buy fresh,” she said. “We are very lucky to be able buy fresh vegetables that come in from all over the world."
Excerpts from an article in The Packer Special section: Tropical Fruit Marketing by Abraham Mahshie published on 04/23/2010 02:59PM
Suppliers said they are building varietal knowledge of tropical fruit through education, sampling, signage and promotions.
As multiple varieties make their way to produce shelves, suppliers said acreage and volumes of lesser-known but better-tasting varieties are increasing.
Despite gains in retailer differentiation, suppliers still agree that more educational and sampling strategies need to be put into place to better inform consumers.“
Brand name versus variety Some tropicals suppliers have noted confusion as to whether a piece of fruit’s name is a brand or a variety. “We do push the trademarked Caribbean Red because we are different from the Mexican papayas,” Mary Ostlund, marketing director for Brooks Tropicals Inc., Homestead, Fla., said of Brooks’ Belize-grown maradol papayas.“People are coming around to learn that the Mexican papaya tastes this way but some people prefer the taste of the Caribbean Red. It really is a brand recognition that we are building and it’s an important recognition to build.”
Ostlund said the same is true for the company’s green-skin Slimcado avocados.“People will think that it’s a marketing thing, which it is, but it’s also a way to tell folks, ‘This is not a hass avocado, this is a different avocado,’” she said. “‘It has a different, lighter taste, and by the way, you can use it more frequently to top your salads with, or on a sandwich or a burger.’”Ostlund said most consumers don’t give much thought to whether the name is a brand name or variety name, but it helps them to identify Brooks’ fruit when they return to the grocery store.
Excerpts from a 4/26/10 article in The Packer written by Abraham Mahshie
Tropical fruit suppliers are increasing their volumes of papayas this year thanks to greater familiarity, higher demand and an uptick in foodservice applications.
Tropical fruit suppliers are increasing their volumes of papayas this year thanks to greater familiarity, higher demand and an uptick in foodservice applications
Mary Ostlund, marketing director for Brooks Tropicals Inc., Homestead, Fla., which specializes in papayas from Belize, said the proximity of the country to the U.S. mainland make the item easier to import than Brazilian papayas.“We like to emphasize to people that we are not considered the Mexican papaya. We don’t have the musky smell or musky tastes,” she said.
Ostlund said she is increasingly finding papayas in the foodservice industry, especially for use in salsas, fruit salads and as a topping for fish.“They have kind of been getting into the restaurants by backing into them,” she said.
“Fish with a papaya salsa on top of it is a way of introducing papaya onto what I would call mainstream menus.”Ostlund said consumers are experiencing papayas and other tropical fruit in their travels and on the Food Network, encouraging them to pick up the fruit at supermarkets.“It’s amazing — they are adding mango, avocado and papaya not just on special occasions, but putting them on their weekly grocery lists,” she said.
Excerpts from an 4/23/10 article in The Packer by Abraham Mahshie
Nutrition is a top selling point for tropical fruit suppliers, who are scrambling to publicize new health benefits to strengthen category growth. Suppliers increasingly seek out research studies about disease-fighting characteristics, labels like “super fruit” and wellness benefits predominant in fruit when making their case for increased consumption.
Mary Ostlund, marketing director for Brooks Tropicals Inc., Homestead, Fla., said Brooks has enlisted a nutritionist to write a column featuring a different one of the company’s products each month. “I always tout the benefits of eating tropical fruits and vegetables, but it’s time to get someone who is really knowledgeable about what you need in your diet,” she said of the new column written by nutritionist Donna Shields, author of “Caribbean Light,” a book about cooking with tropical fruits and vegetables.
Ostlund said the column provides recipes that help consumers to think of Brooks’ items in a different way, like adding starfruit to a Thai salad instead of just using it as a garnish.“It might be cheaper to buy frozen or canned vegetables, but I think the health consciousness has uprooted or trumped that feeling and it’s better to buy fresh,” she said. “We are very lucky to be able buy fresh vegetables that come in from all over the world.”
