Castroville, Calif. – Ocean Mist® Farms is proud to celebrate a significant increase in artichoke sales through strategic creative retail displays and well-executed promotions in partnership with Four Seasons Produce. In June, Four Seasons Produce worked directly withLexington Co-op Markets in Buffalo, NY to move thousands of Ocean Mist Farms artichokes in just five days.
Lexington Co-op Markets held “The Great Artichoke Adventure” in June during an optimal time for artichoke promotions. Between two of its stores, the company sold 3,209 artichokes from Wednesday to Sunday and hosted live demonstrations and tastings alongside the one of the largest artichoke displays the market has ever seen. In addition to a few house recipes, the stores made and packaged Ocean Mist Farms’ Artichoke Butter, which sold 11 lbs.
“Our stores saw tremendous success from this promotion! We gave people the opportunity to experience all that fresh artichokes bring to the summer table,” said Caitlin LoVullo, fresh category manager for Lexington Co-op Markets. “For those who wanted to go home and recreate recipes that they had seen, we had plenty of fresh artichokes for them; but for those who wanted a quick way to enjoy Ocean Mist Farms artichokes, we also had several fresh prepared items for them to purchase.”
In February, Four Seasons Produce also promoted Ocean Mist Farms Frost Kissed Artichokes, which are only available during the winter months and with limited supply. The company’s commitment to elevating fresh produce has been evident in the way that they actively collaborate with brands like Ocean Mist Farms to ensure that shoppers have a personal experience with their products in-store.
“Our partnerships are very important to us and we want to be a resource between our fresh produce suppliers and the retailers,” said Brian Dey, senior merchandiser at Four Seasons Produce. “Producing top-quality in-store experiences like the one Lexington Co-op Markets did in June is a shining example of how strategic merchandising can move product efficiently.”
“We’re grateful for partners like Four Seasons Produce who take initiative to find creative ways to elevate our brand at the retail level,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “It’s incredible to see the success that stores like Lexington Co-op Markets have when they utilize their expertise in artichoke merchandising and sampling.”
For more Ocean Mist Farms merchandising tips, visit https://www.oceanmist.com/merchandising-artichokes.
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About Ocean Mist Farms
Ocean Mist Farms, a fourth generation family-owned business and the largest grower of fresh artichokes in North America, is committed to delivering the highest standards in the industry for food safety, product quality, customer service, innovation and sustainability. The company’s full line of over 30 fresh vegetables includes the award-winning Season & Steam and Ocean Mist Organic product lines. For more information, visit www.oceanmist.com.
About Four Seasons Produce
Four Seasons Produce, Inc. is a full-service wholesale produce distributor supplying Organic, Local and Conventional fresh produce and related products to Organic Markets, Food Co-Ops, Independent Retailers, Chain Stores, Juice Bars and other produce buyers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. For additional information, visit www.fsproduce.com.
About Lexington Cooperative Markets
In March 1971, thirty-three people decided to buy their groceries together in bulk, leading to the formation of the Lexington Real Foods Community Co-op on Lexington Avenue in the Elmwood Village. The original thirty-three eventually became many more, and it was time for the Co-op to move to a larger location. In 2005, Lexington Cooperative Market opened at 807 Elmwood Ave and later expanded to second location at 1678 Hertel Avenue in 2017. The Co-op is community-owned by 17,000 members today in the heart of Buffalo, NY. For additional information, visit www.lexington.coop.
