Sunshine Sweet Corn Hits Record May Levels

The industry witnessed more sweet corn shipping records broken in the Sunshine State this spring. As most of the country experienced one of the coldest springs on record, Florida’s spring deal saw a sluggish start capped off by another record May, with consecutive week totals that exceeded 1.6 million crates shipped. The Sunshine Sweet Corn Farmers of Florida (SSCFF) and its members have helped to drive this movement by supporting an integrated marketing campaign that reaches multiple audiences across a variety of channels.

Florida has been the largest U.S. grower of sweet corn for over 50 years, but everyone felt that this year was special. “We faced a variety of obstacles, including extended cold in the north U.S. and trucking challenges during a critical period,” Paul Allen, SSCFF president explained. “Despite that, we shipped nearly 7.8 million crates in April and May.”

The quality of Sunshine Sweet corn was cited by many retailers as a driving force behind this growth in spring corn sales. Third-party inspections, funded by SSCFF members have helped to guarantee consistent high-quality throughout the season, and a strong marketing campaign has driven consumer demand. “When you are able to drive purchase and deliver a great tasting product to the market, you have the recipe for a successful season, regardless of the challenges you face,” added Allen.

“As an industry, we have invested significant time and resource to change the perception of sweet corn as just a summer vegetable and improve attitudes toward spring corn,” Ted Wanless, chair of SSCFF’s marketing committee added. “Through an integrated campaign that has included outreach to trade, media, influencers and consumers, we have been able to grow sales in the face of hyper local and seasonal trends.”

This year’s program included a television advertising campaign in partnership with Fresh From Florida that aired in three markets, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Raleigh-Durham. Their marketing agency, PadillaCRT, secured coverage for fresh spring corn in national and local print and online media that reached over 100 million consumers in April and May. Further investment in online initiatives resulted in over 60,000 visits to sunshinesweetcorn.com, and a successful Pinterest contest generated over 60,000 pins/repins, and 9 million impressions across the platform.

Sunshine Sweet corn is grown only in Florida, from premium, non-GMO seed varieties that are reviewed and approved each year. Learn more about Sunshine Sweet corn, resources and shippers at www.sunshinesweetcorn.com.

Contact: Jason Stemm
646-218-6014
Jason.Stemm@padillacrt.com

Source: Sunshine Sweet Corn Farmers of Florida