Tis the season

Year-round availability is a term associated with an ever-expanding selection of products, yet there still is a handful of items that shoppers can find only during certain times of the year. Figs, pomegranates and, to an extent, persimmons are among that group.

(Photos courtesy iStockphoto.com)

By playing up the arrival of these seasonal favorites, you can create excitement and anticipation in the produce department that can lead to increased sales.

Fresh fig favorites

Dried figs, as found in fig bars in the cookie aisle, have long been consumer favorites, but suppliers say the category's growth is in the fresh segment.

Shoppers at family-owned Sea Mart Quality Foods, Sitka, Alaska, are particularly excited when figs arrive.

"People up here in Alaska love them," says Joel Chandler, produce manager and merchandiser. The superstore Sea Mart is part of Hames Corp., which also runs a traditional supermarket and two convenience stores.

The figs, which can take five days to reach Sitka by barge from Seattle, cost up to $6.99 per pound. If Chandler has to have the figs flown in to maintain quality, they'll sell for $9.99 a pound. He typically sells about five cases a week.

Chandler leaves the figs in their plastic trays, but he may place a paper towel inside to absorb moisture resulting from their refrigerated travel. He merchandises them near berries and cherries.
Chandler never features figs on ad because of their high cost and the un-certainty of their quality upon arrival.

Although older shoppers tend to buy more of them, figs have become more popular among all consumers, he says.

Back in the lower 48 states, customers at the San Jose location of Lunardi's Supermarkets Inc., a group of seven stores based in South San Francisco, Calif., also look forward to figs, says Jeff Sear, assistant produce manager.

Black mission and kadota are the store's most popular varieties, and Sear displays them in 12-ounce green baskets on a front table near dried figs, strawberries and glazes. He sells about 15 cases a week, and finds that some of his customers use the fruit to make fruit tarts.

Lunardi's doesn't feature figs on ad very often--usually less than once a month. The sale price is $1.99 a basket; regular price is $2.99 to $3.99.

Tonetta Simone-Gladwin, owner of Passion Fruit Farms, Merced, Calif., says the key to selling more figs is to feature them up front with a sign that says, "Fresh California Figs Are Here."

Simone-Gladwin, a grower who also has a small farm stand operation where she sells directly to consumers, says figs can be a cultural item that have appeal for Greek, Middle Eastern, Jewish and Italian consumers.

She encourages produce managers to play up the health benefits of figs. They're sweet but high in fiber and contain vitamin C and antioxidants.

"Exposure is the key to retail movement," agrees George Kragie, president of Western Fresh Marketing, Madera, Calif.

He suggests merchandising figs on an end cap with a buy one, get one free promotion or perhaps sampling them with cheese spread on top.

Promoting pomegranates

The launch of Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice in 2002 has been credited with shining the spotlight on the pomegranate.

The popularity of the drink, named after the variety known as wonderful, created greater demand for pomegranates, causing growers to plant more acreage. That resulted in funds for extensive research into the attributes of the fruit, says Tom Tjerandsen, manager of the San Francisco-based Pomegranate Council.

It may be hard to believe, Tjerandsen says, but there are more pomegranates grown than apricots or asparagus.

Ninety-nine percent of the pomegranates sold in the United States are grown in California, he says, and an estimated 80 percent of those are grown by Pom Wonderful LLC, Los Angeles. The U.S. Department of Agriculture does not permit imports.

Even in Alaska, customers have heard about the fruit's cancer-fighting characteristics, Chandler says.

Sea Mart goes through about seven cases of the fresh fruit a week, displaying pomegranates with such fall items as sweet potatoes, or with tropicals. This summer, pomegranates were selling for $1.99 each, or on ad for 69 cents to 89 cents.

Pomegranates can be sliced in half and overwrapped to let shoppers see what they look like inside, Chandler says. But be advised, they tend to dry out quickly.

At Lunardi's, Sear sells about three cases of pomegranates a week at $1.99 to $2.99 apiece. He places them on ad once or twice a season for 99 cents to $1.99. Sear displays the fruit with grapes and cherries.

At a Niemann Market store in Macomb, Ill., one of 68 conventional and convenience stores under multiple banners operated by Niemann Foods Inc., Quincy, Ill., produce manager Dave Beard displays pomegranates with tropicals such as bananas, mangoes and kiwifruit. If they're on sale, which happens once or twice a season, he gives them their own display. He sells about two cases a week.

Five years ago, only about 2 percent of consumers knew what a pomegranate was, says David Simonian, president of Simonian Fruit Co., Fowler, Calif., and president of the Pomegranate Council. Today, that figure has grown to 60 percent.

Simonian estimates that the pomegranate buzz generated by newspaper and magazine articles would cost $6 million if purchased as paid advertising.

Pomegranates are one of the few produce items where price has gone up along with consumption, he says. Consumers have paid as much as $3.99 for a single pomegranate.

The fruit needs to be prominently displayed, Simonian says, and not hidden in a corner.

The council provides recipe brochures for retailers looking for ways to share information about the unique nutrition benefits of the fruit and innovative ways to use pomegranates.

Trial spurs persimmon sales

Persimmons, like pomegranates, look as good as they taste, and often are used as holiday decorations, says Sear. Sales tend to spike around Thanksgiving.

The fuyu variety is more commonly eaten out of hand, and the hachiya is used in baking and should be allowed to soften if eaten raw.

Sear merchandises persimmons with tropicals or soft fruit. The store sells about 10 cases a week in season, and Sear is quick to let shoppers sample one if they have never tasted the fruit.

"It's something people need to try before they buy," he says.

Persimmons start off strong, but interest tends to wane as the season progresses, he says. That's a cue for Lunardi's to drop the price, which usually ranges from 99 cents to $1.29 each, to between 59 cents and 69 cents each. The store features persimmons on ad a couple of times a season, Sear says.

Chandler displays persimmons in small, round baskets near yams and squash at Sea Mart. He sells about five cases a week, mostly between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Persimmons are becoming a more popular fruit as consumers learn what to do with them and how to determine when they are edible, he says.

They start out at $1.59 to $1.99 each early in the season. If they begin to get too soft, Chandler may cut the price in half to move them out.

Beard sells only about two cases of persimmons a week and says they are rarely, if ever, featured on ad at Niemann Market. But they have been featured as an in-store special, and they have proven popular when he has sampled them.

The fruit is especially popular with Japanese and other Asian consumers, says Dave Maddux, sales representative at Brandt Farms Inc., Reedley, Calif.

Sunny Cal Farms Inc., Reedley, puts stickers on the fuyu variety that indicate that the fruit is"ready to eat now," says Carl Buxman, owner and president.

Both companies offer consumer information about persimmons.

To learn more:
www.brandtfarms.com
www.calfreshfigs.com
www.californiafigs.com
www.figlady.com
www.pomegranates.org
www.pomwonderful.com
www.simonianfruit.com
www.sunnycal.com
www.westernfreshmarketing.com