Flavorful Florida

New products and promotions from the Sunshine State.

When it comes to Florida produce, citrus always leaps to mind. Florida accounts for the lion's share of total U.S. citrus production, at 65 percent, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Tallahassee.

But more than oranges and grapefruit, the Sunshine State also ranks first in cash receipts for fresh snap beans, sweet corn, watermelons, fresh cucumbers, squash and sugarcane.

Lights, Camera, Watermelon

Talk about foot traffic: With more than 450 million people passing through New York's Times Square each year, it's a high-visibility venue for promoting produce. This was the thinking behind the National Watermelon Promotion Board's decision to extend its advertising to the CBS "Jumbotron" in Times Square.

Gordon Hunt, director of marketing and communications for the Orlando, Fla.-based board, says that some of the ads will include a list of retailers where Florida watermelon can be purchased. "Watermelon isn't branded, so it's a big deal for the produce department to see that we're on the big-screen Jumbotron," notes Hunt.

As Florida watermelon season kicks off, Hunt anticipates an early market, thanks to a mild winter. Watermelons from north Florida will still be in the market for the Fourth of July, which is an important time for sales of the fruit. With that in mind, the board will once again sponsor a month-long retail display contest during July. Details can be found at www.watermelon.org.

"We're trying to raise awareness that watermelons come from Florida," Hunt says of the board's promotional efforts and stepped-up social media push. "We do a lot with social media because it's very cost-effective — websites, blogs, YouTube, Twitter. It lets us punch above our weight level as one of the smaller commodity groups."

In addition to promoting the Florida roots of flavorful watermelons, the board wants to get the word out that a serving of the fruit has more health-boosting lycopene than a serving of tomatoes, and it's just as versatile an ingredient. "We want retailers and consumers to think of watermelon as a product that can be combined with other produce and products in the store," says Hunt. "That's why we put so much emphasis on recipes on our website."

Raw Foods Launches New Site

Miami-based Raw Foods International continues to expand with its It Tastes RAAW juice line. The newest flavors, Strawberry-Purple Carrot, Mango-Guarana and Very Berry-Wheatgrass, are available in 12-ounce packages, with six to a case.

The company has also launched a new website at www.raawfoods.com, where visitors can learn more about these unique fruit-and-vegetable beverages.

"Consumers were demanding healthier drinks," says Paul Gregg, Raw Foods International's EVP. "We're 100 percent natural, and we add no waters or sugars to our beverages. We also make the fruit-and-vegetable combination taste great."

Made from fresh crushed juice and flash-pasteurized, the It Tastes RAAW juice line is refrigerated throughout the supply chain, and has a nine-month shelf life from the time of packaging.

"We want retailers and consumers to think of watermelon as a product that can be combined with other produce and products in the store."

—Gordon Hunt, National Watermelon Promotion Board