SEATTLE — The world’s largest banana provider is giving Seattle-Tacoma residents the chance to do something unique this summer with the beloved yellow fruit: Peel the love.
Seattle-Tacoma is one of eight cities selected for the first-ever Peel the Love Summer Food Truck Tour, a 4,800-mile, 102-day journey organized by DOLE® Bananas to bring delectable new summer recipes, serving suggestions and free samples to healthy-eating fans coast-to-coast. The pink-and-turquoise truck, created specifically for the tour, will make stops at supermarkets and other public and private venues throughout the Seattle-Tacoma area including after-school centers and other nonprofit organizations.
Scheduled public stops in the Seattle-Tacoma area include:
•Haggen Northwest Fresh at 1406 Lake Tapps Parkway E. in Auburn on May 30 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
•Fred Meyer at 100 NW 85th St. in Seattle on May 31 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• The Edmonds Waterfront Festival on June 1-2
The truck will also visit the North Seattle Boys and Girls Club on May 28 to offer fun nutritional advice and host games and other activities as part of the organization’s healthy eating program. This visit is not open to the public.
Co-sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk and Dole Packaged Foods, the Peel the Love Summer Food Truck Tour kicks-off in Seattle over Memorial Weekend and visits Sacramento, Calif.; Los Angeles; Phoenix; Houston; Des Moines, Iowa; Baltimore and Washington, D.C., before concluding in New York City on Labor Day.
Throughout the tour, Dole and Blue Diamond Almond Breeze will target health-, fitness- and lifestyle-oriented consumers and will partner with retailers to suggest new serving, pairing and entertaining options. Both brands will also reach out to registered dieticians (RDs), supermarket nutritionists, food bloggers and other influentials about the health, taste and convenience advantages of bananas, almonds and almondmilk.
The new recipes that will be available for sampling range from Banana Pineapple Coconut Smoothies and Thai Noodle Salad with Banana Peanut Dressing to Banana Pudding Pops, DOLE Banana S’mores, Dole Grilled Bananas and Chocolate Monkeys. Some combine DOLE Bananas with Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk.
“We’re excited to be partnering with Blue Diamond to take our original recipes, healthy-eating tips and other fun information to banana-loving fans right where they live,” explained Bil Goldfield, communications manager of Dole Fresh Fruit. “The whole goal of the three-month exhibition is to show that, beyond their well-known health, energy, versatility and recipe benefits, bananas are simply a lot of fun.”
The Tour is part of DOLE® Bananas Peel the Love, a bold, year-long initiative stressing the fun, versatility, irreverence and universally beloved aspects of the world’s most popular fruit. In addition to showcasing new recipes and serving suggestions, Dole will introduce new ways to outreach to the more than 600,000 DOLE Banana, 800,000 Dole Packaged Foods and 122,000 Blue Diamond Almond Breeze social media fans.
“Dole and Blue Diamond are iconic brands that represent the best of fun, healthy summer eating,” said Suzanne Hagener, senior marketing manager of Blue Diamond Almond Breeze. “The Peel the Love Food Truck Tour brings some of the summer’s best eating and entertaining ideas to consumers and retailers across the country.”
For Peel the Love program details, including Food Truck Tour stops, as well as DOLE Banana recipes, serving suggestions and other information, go to http://www.dole.com/peelthelove, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter at www.facebook.com/DOLEBananas or www.twitter.com/DOLEBananas, respectively.
For Dole Packaged Foods information and recipes visit dole.com, or join the healthy conversation on social at facebook.com/Dole and twitter.com/DoleFoods.
For information and recipes on Blue Diamond Almond Breeze® Almondmilk please go to www.almondbreeze.com, or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AlmondBreeze.
About Blue Diamond Growers
Blue Diamond Growers is the world’s largest almond marketer and processor. It is responsible for developing the industry and opening world markets over 100 years ago when Spain and Italy were the major producers of almonds. While the U.S. market is the largest single market for almonds, over 70 percent of them are exported to 95 countries worldwide. Almonds are California’s largest food export and they rank among the top ten food exports in America. California produces over 80 percent of the world’s supply.
About DOLE Bananas
DOLE is the top-selling banana in America and the world — in both conventional and organic product categories. From its founding by James Drummond Dole, the company has built its reputation on a ceaseless commitment to quality. Today, the DOLE brand stands for more than 150 years of quality produce — and the world’s largest supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables, including bananas. Dole strives to grow, produce, harvest, transport and distribute its bananas and other produce in the most environmentally and socially conscious way possible.
About Dole Packaged Foods
Dole Packaged Foods LLC, a subsidiary of Dole International Holdings, is a leader in sourcing, processing, distributing and marketing fruit products and healthy snacks throughout the world. Dole markets a full line of canned, jarred, cup, frozen and dried fruit products and is an innovator in new forms of packaging and processing fruit. For more information please visit www.dole.com.
About Dole Food Company, Inc.
Dole Food Company with 2012 revenues of $4.2 billion, is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, Dole is an industry leader in many of the products it sells, as well as in nutrition education and research. For more information, please visit www.dole.com or http://investors.dole.com.
Source: Dole Food Company, Inc.
