Supermarket Perimeter - April 2020 - 44

Produce

Branded products
BY ANDY NELSON

More than a name and logo
Branding allows Westlake Village, Calif.-based Dole Food Co. to differentiate its fresh fruits and vegetables by directly leveraging its "unique,
tangible consumer benefits," said Bil Goldfield, the company's director
of corporate communications.
For Dole, branding, Goldfield said, is much more than just a name
or logo. Dole equates its famous brand with a promise the company
makes to its consumers.
"It's about trust that we have earned and assurance for the consumer
purchasing that product," he said. "The Dole brand stands for 160+ years
of excellence in freshness, transparency and responsibility, and for farm-fresh produce grown and delivered from
around the world to customers at the peak of quality."
Dole leverages the huge power of its famous brand in
every way possible, Goldfield added. While best known
for supplying bananas, pineapples, packaged salads and
fresh-cut vegetables, Dole has become synonymous with
nutrition and nutrition education, thanks to extensive
efforts to educate America and the world on the importance and benefits of a plant-inclusive diet rich in fresh
fruits and vegetables.
Industry-leading nutritional insights led by Dole's own
in-house dietitian and nutrition and health communications manager, Melanie Marcus, help in this effort, Goldfield
said. Marcus publishes the Dole Nutrition News, which
is read by hundreds of thousands of health advocates
every month.
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Dole also grows its brand power by constantly updating its social
media pages, which are some of the industry's most-followed. Featuring
recipes, serving suggestions and healthy living tips, Dole's Facebook,
Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter sites reach more than 1.7 million followers monthly.

Keeping brands strong
The Del Monte brand is as strong as it's ever been, Christou said, but
the company knows it can't rest on its laurels if it wants to retain that
consumer loyalty. Del Monte is constantly working on developing new
products that meet changing lifestyles and emerging consumer needs,
he said.
For instance, the company has noticed increasing demand for products that will help its consumers - especially millennials - introduce
fresh fruits and vegetables to their lunches and afternoon snacks in
tasty and convenient ways.
One product that meets that need is Del Monte's Better Break line of
convenience products, which offers consumers an easy snack or small
meal packed with fresh veggies and 4 grams of protein per serving.
Del Monte keeps its brand strong by meeting ever-rising demand for
fresh-cut product, Christou said.
Another way to flex those "true brand" muscles is to come up with
products that outperform their categories, he added.
The melon category, for example, has been
stagnant in recent years, but Del Monte's
branded MAG melons are a repeat-purchase machine. And one of the company's stalwarts, the Del Monte Gold extra

Branded
convenience

DEL MONTE, SUNKIST, DOLE

TO TRULY UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF BRANDING in fresh produce, it's important to first differentiate between true brands and shipper labels, said Dennis Christou, vice president of marketing for Coral
Gables, Fla.-based Del Monte Fresh Produce.
"True brands have values and personalities that consumers can relate
to," he said. "Consumers will always see brands like Del Monte that are
true to their values and build strong bonds and preference with their
target consumers."
Del Monte's "true brand" proposition goes beyond just the high quality of the fruit the company produces, Christou said. With Del Monte,
consumers know they're also getting fruits and vegetables produced in
a socially and environmentally responsible manner.
"We are incredibly proud of our longstanding reputation of the Del
Monte brand as a trusted symbol of product quality, freshness and reliability," he said. "The strong brand values, combined with our steadfast
commitment to quality, innovation and responsible business practices,
allows us to consistently exceed expectations of our trade partners."

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