CORAL GABLES, Florida – Turbana Corporation, the expert in tropical produce, announced today that it has expanded its Tropicals program to include seven new tasty items. Groovy Coconut, Aji Cachucha, Avocado, Ginger, Habanero Pepper, Malanga Amarilla and Sour Orange have been added, which, combined with Turbana’s existing tropicals (Aloe Vera, Batata, Calabaza, Chayote, Dry Coconut, Malanga Coco, Malanga Lila, Malanga Blanca, Yellow Yam, Yuca, Ñame, and Eddo), offer retailers a total of nineteen unique choices that Turbana believes are fundamental to the tropical selection of any store.
“This expansion will help grow our Tropicals program as a category and this growth in sales volume will add to our produce department’s overall annual sales revenue,” said Juan Monsalve, National Produce Buyer for C&S Wholesale Grocers.
The program, which launched in 2013, provides the tools and expertise necessary for retailers to garner a new demographic with high buying power: the ethnic consumer. As the fastest growing segment in the U.S., ethnic consumers shop two to three times per week, spend more dollars per visit than the average consumer and have diets that heavily depend on high quality tropicals. Turbana’s Tropicals program continues to be aimed at providing retailers with a one-stop-shop solution for their tropicals and to help them turn their stores into a destination for ethnic consumers.
“Turbana's Tropicals program adds significant value to retailers as it provides them the opportunity to reach out to a very specific and substantial consumer market, while introducing mainstream consumers to ethnic tropicals,” said Ricardo Echeverri, Vice President of Turbana Tropicals.
Grounded with in-depth ethnic market intelligence, Turbana’s Tropicals program provides retailers with pertinent information such as, which segments of ethnic consumers live within a store’s market area, tropicals preferred by these consumers, how demand for certain tropicals fluctuates during ethnic holidays and projected growth of these segments in the future. The program also provides advice on how to select, store and display tropicals throughout the year. Leveraging new technologies, Turbana has also created a mobile application that provides this information in an easy and convenient way: on their smart phones. The full program enables retailers to customize their shipments in a way that caters to their specific needs. Utilizing Turbana’s extensive knowledge of tropical produce and consumer preferences, retailers are able to gain access to this growing market.
Furthermore, the program provides retailers order flexibility through customized loads. Acting as a one-stop-shop, Turbana makes the ordering process easier for retailers by making not only its diverse selection of nineteen tropicals, but also its bananas, plantains, and pineapples available to be shipped together. This saves retailers’ time and results in lower freight costs.
“I have been impressed with both the wide variety of items and the high quality of the products we have been receiving,” commented Paul Bromwich, Fresh Produce Buyer for C&S Wholesale Grocers.
Turbana’s full tropicals line is currently offered throughout the Northeast at retailers such as Wakefern and SuperValu. Due to an increasing demand for the program, it will soon extend to the South, Midwest and West Coast. This unique combination of new technologies, in-depth market intelligence, category expertise, and ordering flexibility brought to retailers’ fingertips is sure to make their buying experience a breeze.
Established in 1970, Turbana Corporation is a leading importer of tropical produce in North America, including bananas, plantains, pineapples, and ethnic tropicals. Turbana is proud to have been the first organization to bring Fair Trade Certified bananas to North America.
A pioneer in sustainability and social consciousness, Turbana has developed the farming communities in the banana and plantain-growing regions over the past 44 years through its social foundation, Fundauniban. Turbana gives a portion of every purchase to Fundauniban, contributing to the $250 Million the foundation has invested in social and economic projects for education, housing, infrastructure, and environmental protection since 1987. Additionally, Turbana invests in its communities across the US, helping them build sustainable and healthy practices.
Turbana is owned by Uniban, the world’s largest grower-owned banana company and the world’s largest producer of Fair Trade Certified bananas and plantains, and Fyffes, one of the largest produce importers and distributors in Europe.
Source: Turbana
