Kiwi berries pack the same bright, fruity flavor as a classic green kiwifruit, but have a thin edible smooth skin. No fuzz on these adorable fruits!  Although their flavor is often described as tropical and sweet, kiwi berries grow best in temperate zones and thrive in colder climates like the Pacific Northwest!

The exterior skin is green, brownish, or purple colored– sometimes with a red blush. Each berry is roughly the size of a grape, making them perfect for salads and smoothies. These berries are best eaten out-of-hand since they don’t need to be peeled!

These nutritious fruits can add a unique and eye-catching pop to retail displays. They have twice the vitamin C of an orange and their potassium content is on par with bananas. Kiwi berries are also high in fiber and are a great source of vitamin E and magnesium. They are the perfect treat for those looking for exciting seasonal fall fruits. Kiwi berries are only available for a short period; add some to your order today!

Marian Farms Thompson Grape Display Contest

Looking to get your creative juices flowing?  Have a knack for creating eye-catching displays?  Veritable Vegetable has partnered with Marian Farms to offer a seasonal promotion of certified organic and Biodynamic green seedless Thompson grapes. The grapes are offered in recyclable paper totes that are approximately 2+ pounds each. A case is 17-pounds and holds 7 totes. We invite all retailers to join the contest and get creative while highlighting the value and flavor of Marian Farms Thompson grapes. Along the way, enhance customers’ shopping experience and boost produce sales!

Contest Criteria

• Build a creative display of Marian Farms organic Thompson grape totes purchased from VV in your store.
• Displays must be up in-store for at least one week.
• Use point of sale signage provided by VV in the display, highlighting organic Biodynamic Thompson grapes and Marian Farms.
• Items used in the display other than Marian Farms Thompson grapes are not required to be purchased from VV.
• To enter the contest, send display pictures to veritablevegetable@gmail.com by October 11th. Please include your store name in the subject line of the email.
• Earn contest points by posting your display on social media and using the hashtag #GrapeEscape2020. Don’t forget to mention @MarianFarmsBiodynamic and @VeritableVegetable!
• Contest will run from September 14 – October 11, 2020.

One winner will be selected for each of the following categories. Winners will receive a $250 VISA Gift Card.

Most Creative Display | Most Thompson Grapes Sold

Merchandising Tips

• Free-Standing Displays: Place displays near registers and capture customers as they check-out. Grapes can be out of refrigeration for short periods of time; place them in the cooler at the end of the night.
• Smaller Displays: Grapes are soft and can be easily damaged if too much weight is on top of them. Limit to 2-3 layers of product.
• Color Contrast: Pops of color are an effective way to draw attention to a display and break up a sea of similar produce.
• Cross Merchandise: Use other Biodynamic products in your displays— produce, wines, juices, apple sauce, nuts, or oils. Heirloom apples, dates, figs, crackers, cheese, or wine also all look great next to Thompson grapes.
• Signage/Labeling: Customers want to identify what they are buying, quickly. In addition to our provided signage, put up some of your own. Good signage is eye-catching, easy to read, and has all the relevant information. Educate customers on Biodynamic practices—it’s what makes these grapes special!
• Training: Make sure all your staff is trained on handling, sorting, and displaying grapes. Highlight what Biodynamic farming is and how it relates to grape size and flavor.
• Social Media: Snap some photos of your grape display and share it on your social media platforms. Tell customers where to quickly locate grapes in your store. Post a video with a staff member sampling and describing the flavor of the Thompson grapes to entice customers! Aim for clear, high resolution images or videos with short and concise captions.

New & Exciting!:

• Mexicola Avocado*: Starting up the fourth week of September. Egg shaped and small in size. Shiny, black, thin completely edible skin! Highly flavorful with a small interior seed. Mix up your fall retail displays with this unique and tasty variety.

• Early Wonder Pomegranate: Large size. Characteristic thick, bright magenta skin. Sweet-tart flavor with dark red arils. Starting off with good volume and steady supplies.
• Jack O’Lantern Pumpkin: Bins now available. Pre-order with your Account Manager today and build your fall retail displays!

• Purple Potato*: Round to oblong in shape. Vibrant ink-colored skin with a smooth to russeted texture. Starchy flesh is a deep, saturated purple. Flavor is sweet and nutty when cooked.

Did you know… Purple potatoes are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and the antioxidant, anthocyanin, which has been studied as an immune system booster?

• Smitten Apple*: Tastes perfectly balanced with hints of tart behind the sweetness. Unforgettably crunchy. Beautiful “wild apple” coloration with a yellow base and cheeky red blushing. A staff favorite!

• Sugar Pie Pumpkin*: Petite in size with a round shape and classic orange colored exterior. Flesh is bright orange and tastes extraordinarily sweet and nutty when roasted.

• Sweet Carnival Grape*: Exterior is a golden amber color. Seedless grape with a sweet flavor and crisp texture. Naturally tastes like the classic carnival treat cotton candy! Very popular variety that has been gaining traction.

Promotable:

• Bartlett Pear*: In good supply with sharp pricing.
• Brussels Sprout: Sharp pricing and steady supply. Talk to your Account Manager for volume deals!
• Green Kale: in strong supply with sharp pricing.
• Heirloom Tomato*: In good supply with extremely sharp pricing.

• Jujube: (Pronounced joo-joo-bee) Oval or round in shape. Size varies from a large grape to a golf ball. Exterior is a speckled yellow-green to brown coloring. Interior flesh is uniquely both crisp and airy, surrounding a hard and pointed inedible seed. Flavor ranges from sweet and sour to a candy-like sweetness. Great to include for fall retail displays!

• Nantes Carrot: In good supply with promotional pricing. Cylindrical in shape with blunt, rounded ends. Flesh is orange, fine-grained, crisp, and juicy with little to no core. Crunchy and tender with a mild sweet taste.
• Pineapple*: In strong supply and tasting sweet!
• Thompson Grape*: In good supply. Add some to your order and enter our Marian Farms grape display contest today! These grapes are intensely sweet, juicy, and flavorful. Seedless with a thin skin.

*Staff Pick

Limited:

• Artichoke: Extremely limited.
• Berry: Strawberry tight in supply due to high demands and heat damage affecting production. Prices trending up. Blueberry and blackberry growers are affected by fires, limiting supply.
• Bok Choy: Limited in supply due to heat affecting production. Prices remain high.
• Cauliflower: Very tight in supply with prices expected to rise.
• Cucumber: California-grown very tight in supply. Import in better supply.
• Fig: Extremely limited and gapping in supply. Fires and smoke affecting production.
• Grapefruit: Limited in supply with gaps expected.
• Valencia Orange: Very limited in supply due to heat and smoke affecting harvests.
• Zucchini: Extremely tight in supply. Gaps expected. Heat wave and volatile weather affecting production.

Done for the Season:

• Bronx Grape

Download September 18 2020 Produce Notes