Pacific Trellis Fruit expands premium stone fruit lineup
To create a full line of premium stone fruit during the Southern Hemisphere season, this winter Pacific Trellis Fruit, a year-round grower, shipper, and marketer of premium fresh fruit, will be adding donut peaches and extra sweet nectarines. This is the firm’s inaugural offering of imported specialty plum varieties.
The company is gearing up for the new high-flavor arrivals from Chile with donut peaches available in mid-December and nectarines beginning in January. These will be offered in one- and two-pound clamshells, offering consumers quality, convenience, and safety.
“Our imported specialty stone fruit offerings are shaking up the category,” mentions Dan Carapella Jr., vice president of sales for fresh fruit at Pacific Trellis. “Last year, we collected data from case studies showing the enormous success retailers had with the program. These wildly sweet and juicy plums, along with flavorful nectarines and donut peaches, are available through April,” adds Carapella.
The company highlights four specialty and premium plum SKUs – Lemon Plums, Extra Sweet, Watermelon, and Sugar Plums. Lemon Plums, grown in Chile and South Africa, are yellow-skinned and turn bright red when ripe. Extra Sweet Plums, grown in Chile and South Africa, vary in appearance from bright red to dark red, to red/yellowish skin as well as black. Watermelon Plums, grown in South Africa, have green skin with red flesh, similar in appearance to a watermelon. Sugar Plums, grown in Chile and South Africa, have red to purple skin with golden-yellow flesh. In addition, the Donut Peaches have a tender, juicy, and sweet white flesh, while the Extra Sweet Nectarines display both white and yellow flesh fruit with a combination of sweet and tangy taste.
“We are excited to offer the specialty stone fruit program to customers,” says Carapella. “The varieties offer a unique merchandising opportunity, capturing strong sales opportunities for the winter stone fruit category,” adds Carapella.
Pacific Trellis Fruit will be highlighting its new specialty stone fruit from booth 3191 at the upcoming Global Produce and Floral Show in Anaheim, CA.