What is fuzzy, green and absolutely delicious? The season has started for local California-grown green kiwi and we couldn’t be more excited! Kiwis have a distinctive flavor, balanced somewhere between sweet, tart, and refreshing! The ‘citrus-y’ flavor also varies depending on the variety, of which there are about 60. Some of the most popular types are golden kiwi, which tends to be a little sweeter and has yellow flesh; green kiwifruit, which is the most familiar type; and kiwi berries, which are small grape-sized, with edible skin lacking the external brown fuzz on typical green kiwi. When first introduced to the USA in the 1970’s, the wildly successful marketing campaign focused on ‘ugly on the outside but sweet on the inside”. Chefs and bakers quickly embraced the unusual bright neon green-fleshed fruit. The newly developed ‘Giant kiwi’ and other unique red and purple fleshed varieties are becoming more available.
New Zealand is the largest exporter of kiwis, exporting 572,000 metric tons in 2020 alone. However, the fruit actually originated from China and only came to New Zealand in 1904. Since then, the kiwi’s unique taste, appearance, and health benefits have caused it to explode in popularity worldwide.
Fun Fact: New Zealanders renamed kiwi fruit (originally Chinese Gooseberry) because of its similar appearance to the fuzzy kiwi bird—New Zealand’s National Bird!
Kiwifruit lend themselves to a variety of uses, such as fancy fruit salad, juices, smoothies, garnish, and even cocktails. The fruit is also known for its bounty of vitamins and minerals. Some varieties have more vitamin C than an orange, and more potassium than a banana, all while having less than 50 calories in each fruit!
New & Exciting!
African Shaddock Pomelo: Low acidity, with a sweet tart flavor. Flesh is segmented with lovely pale-yellow or pink color. Juicy and fragrant!
Cosmic Crisp Apple (right): The flavor is out of this world! High sugar and acidity create a balanced sweet-tart flavor with tangy undertones. Flesh is crunchy with a snappy consistency. Strong and steady supply on this tasty apple.
Fun Fact: The name “Cosmic” was chosen because the “striking” lenticels on the apple reminded the tasters of outer space and the cosmos. “Crisp” is a nod to its Honeycrisp parent.
EverCrisp Apple: The name says it all. Sweet, juicy and packing a loud crunch, the apple combines the best of its parents HoneyCrisp and Fuji.
Clementine Tangerine: Sweet and almost always seedless. Skin comes right off!
Orlando Tangelo (below): Very juicy, with a sweet-tart flavor. Few seeds and easy to peel. Cross between a mandarin and a pomelo. Available in Large, Jumbo and Mammoth sizes. Ours are exclusively from B&J Ranch, in the Coachella Valley. 
Satsuma Tangerine: Juicy, sugary experience. Seedless, small size, and very easy to peel. One of the most popular of all the tangerines. Eagerly awaited 5-pound gift boxes have arrived!
Promotable
Brussels Sprouts (left): We’re still seeing great pricing and steady supply on locally grown sprouts. Volume deals available!
Butternut & Delicata Squash: Supply is going strong on these hearty winter squash.
Chestnut: Fresh, locally grown and gorgeous! Chestnuts are available in volume through the holiday season at new nutty prices!
Fairchild Tangerine: Juicy, rich flavor. One of the sweetest of the tangerine family. Cross between a Clementine tangerine and an Orlando tangelo. Sweetness increases through the season. Great for juicing! Large and Jumbo sizes available; ask your Account Manager about bins!
Fuyu Persimmon (right): Delicate sweet flavor with cinnamon undertones. Enjoy while firm and crunchy! Plenty of supply on 1-layer and volume-fill fruit. 
Green Kiwi: Abundant supply ready to move on volume-fill fruit.
Maple Candy: Made purely with organic maple syrup; naturally sweet and delicious! Each case includes 16 retail boxes (1.5-ounce each) containing six candies in an assortment of decorative shapes. Support this farmer-producer Co-op from Wisconsin. Kosher certified, great for Hanukkah candy bowls. Also the perfect ‘stocking stuffers’ for X-mas season.
Persian Cucumber: Volume available on bulk ‘cukes.
Limited
Artichoke
Celery: Supply is tight and prices are up. Sizing is small and limited. Desert new crop is not expected until possibly mid-January.
Cherry Tomato
Chili Pepper: Still very limited. Serrano, Poblano, and Cherry Bombs are all gapping.
Dill
Mini Seedless Watermelon
One & Two-Layer Tomato: Limited; prices are going up.
Red/Orange/Yellow Bell Pepper: Limited from Mexico.
Done for the Season
Jicama
Rambutan
Merchandising Corner
Winter Citrus Merchandising
The winter season is here, which means it’s time to pack your department with the most celebrated seasonal product – citrus! Here are a few ways to keep the displays interesting and your product moving.
Make your displays stand out. Citrus can add color contrast all over your department. Display it with asparagus, greens and potatoes to create a fun and exciting shopping experience. Buddha’s Hand Citron is the perfect conversation starter, and the zest can be used to flavor many dishes and beverages. Other unusual citrus that can add novelty to your produce display include kumquats, finger limes and (the Grandmama of grapefruit) pomelos.
Cross-Merchandise. Navel and Valencia oranges are in high demand, and used for eating fresh, cooking, and juicing. Try adding citrus juicers and citrus-centric cookbooks to your large citrus displays to encourage and inspire usage.
Color Break. Even though lemons and limes tend to be available year-round, these are great to use as color breaks in your sea of orange citrus displays. There are a few different varieties available to help break up the orange like Meyer Lemon, Makrut Lime, Variegated Pink Lime, and Sweet Lime.
Shelf Talkers. ‘Shelf talkers’ are useful to draw attention to produce, especially when you need to move something out. They may also give shoppers ideas for how to use an item that they hadn’t thought of before. Check out these Citrus Shelf Talkers, which feature 10 citrus varieties from B&J Ranch.
Grab & Go: Encourage impulse buys by having pre-bagged Satsuma Tangerines available, ready to go. And 5-lb gift boxes are perfect for mailing and bringing to holiday feast events.
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