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The beginning of baseball season, warmer weather, wild flowers and the
abundance of fresh produce mark the beginning of spring. The latter brings the
opportunity for many retail produce promotions both of the traditional and ethnic variety.
There are also a number of “inventive days” that a promotion can be built around.
For example, Tristan Millar, director of marketing and business development, reminded
us that May is National Salad Month and June 17 is National Vegetable Day. While
these dates are not on most calendars, a creative merchandiser can use them to his or
her advantage and promote almost any item in those categories. Also check out health
observance websites. Every week some group is promoting one health benefit or another.
In the coming months there is National Woman’s Health Week (May 11-18) and National
Heart Week (June 9-15), to name just two.
Traditional holidays over the next few months include Mother’s Day, Memorial
Day, Father’s Day and the Fourth of July. Some of the ethnic days include Cinco de
Mayo, the Malaysian’s Gawai Dayak on May 31/June 1 and Puerto Rico’s Constitution
Day on July 25
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo
Our first big holiday in the aforementioned
period is Cinco de Mayo. This has become an
American holiday as much as one celebrating
Mexico. In fact, it commemorates a great battle
in Mexico, but not Mexico’s Independence Day,
which is on September 16th. In the United
States it is often called the “Mexican St. Patrick’s
Day,” which is a good analogy considering that
St. Patrick’s Day is more significant in the United
State than in Ireland.
As St. Patrick’s Day seems to be celebrated
most often with green beer, margaritas of a
green shade are the potable of choice for Cinco
de Mayo. But Cinco de Mayo parties also offer
great opportunities for produce promotions.
The most obvious promotion involves avocados.
Cinco de Mayo is by far the biggest consumption
day for California avocados. Guacamole is
the main dish for these avocados but they are
also served liberally in salads and other Mexican
dishes.
Frieda’s Millar said Cinco de Mayo offers
excellent opportunities for other Mexican products
including fresh and dried chilies and tomatillos.
Also in good supply at this time of year
and promotable for this holiday are cherimoyas
and persimmons.
May 11 — Mother’s Day
This year’s Mother’s Day is relatively early
and does offer fresh produce promotion opportunities
though it is one of the top days of the
year for dining in restaurants. A good bet for
suppliers is to work with restaurants on
foodservice promotions. Flowers are also a
great promotion as Mother’s Day only ranks
behind Valentine’s Day for its flower sales.
For those who do eat in, Frieda’s stresses
its crepe and Marie’s strawberry glaze spring
promotion. Crepes filled with a variety of fresh
fruit make a great promotion for any holiday
that stresses a brunch menu.
May 26 — Memorial Day
Unofficially, Memorial Day marks the beginning
of the barbecue season in the United
States and opens up a variety of produce to the
possibility of grilling. Of course, corn on the
cob offers opportunities but so do many other
vegetables such as zucchinis, asparagus and
onions. Portabella mushrooms add class to any
barbecue feast as do baby vegetables. Frieda’s
promotes for barbecue skewers such as boiler
and pearl onions, elephant garlic and a variety
of fruits such as baby pineapples and papayas.
May 31/June 1 – Gawai Dayak
(Iban Festival)
This Malaysian holiday is very important
in that area of the world as it is a celebration in
honor of the rice god, and of course, rice has
long been a major staple in the area of the
world. Millar says promotion possibilities exist
for many items including cilantro, coconut, garlic,
kassir, lemon grass, pearl and boiler onions,
and turmeric.
June 6 – Shavout
(Season of the Giving of
the Torah).
This Jewish holiday is celebrated
seven weeks after the 2nd
day of Passover. It commemorates
the return of Moses from Mt. Sinai after the revelation
of the Ten Commandments and the
foundation of the Torah. A variety of fruit and
potatoes are important for the meals cooked
for this feast.
June 15 – Father’s Day
While we take Mom out for Mother’s Day,
we let Dad fire up the grill, overcook chicken
and tell him how good it is. Father’s Day continues
the American love affair with the barbecue.
The same items that were promoted for
Memorial Day make sense throughout the summer.
By the middle of June, fruits are moving
into heavy production so everything from apples
to watermelons are available and can be used
in many different salad dishes.
June 19 — Juneteenth
This holiday is becoming more and more
popular in African-American communities as it
commemorates the freeing of the slaves by
Abraham Lincoln. At the end of the Civil War,
President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation,
freeing over 250,000 slaves. Although
freedom came on January 1, 1863, it took over
a year and a half for the news to make it across
the country. The slaves in Texas were notified
on June 19, 1865, and one year later, they began
celebrating the date. A whole host of traditional
southern fresh produce is appropriate
for Juneteenth promotions.
July 4 — Independence Day
Commemorating the final approval of the
U.S. Declaration of Independence in 1776, this
holiday is celebrated with picnics, barbecues,
and fireworks. The same items that are popular
for Memorial and Father’s Day work for this
holiday. Because of seasonal availability, Frieda’s
also promotes donut peaches, camouflage
melons, lychees and tamarillos. On the vegetable
side, the Frieda promotions include fresh
cut herbs, fresh and dried chilies, jicamas and
sugar snap peas.
July 14 — Bastille Day.
On July 14, 1789, the people of Paris
marched on the Bastille, a state-run prison and
symbol of the oppressive monarchy. It was the
beginning of the French Revolution and founding
of the Republic. Today, Bastille Day commemorates
French Independence with military
parades, fireworks, and lots of eating and drinking.
July/August – Obon Festival
In Buddhist tradition, ancestor spirits visit
homes every summer during the Obon or Bon
Festival (from the Japanese word for intense
pain: Urabon-e). On the lunar calendar it is celebrated
sometime during the last two weeks of
July (the time of the event in eastern Japan); on
the solar calendar, it is held August 13th-15th
(the dates used in western Japan).
July 25 – Puerto Rico
Constitution Day
This important holiday in Puerto Rico is
celebrated with a great feast. Promotion opportunities
include fresh herbs, papayas and
plantains.
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