Inside the game plan: How produce brands are using sports to promote health and community
Sports stars have partnered with major brands for a long time. These relationships have, at times, even become a major representation of a star athlete's brand. You can’t think of Tiger Woods without thinking about Nike, and a massive part of the Oregon-based athletics brand wouldn’t even exist without Michael Jordan.
However, clothing brands are not the only ones naturally intertwined with sports.
Food brands and sports have developed a synergistic relationship as well. Football watch parties come with snacks, and for a good chunk of us, that includes chips and guacamole. And that’s no accident, as produce organizations such as Avocados From Mexico are making sure that watching the game means craving some guac.
This is because the ethos of both the produce and sports industries is built on something consumers are increasingly valuing—health.
The word 'healthy' is everywhere, and athletes are often regarded as among the healthiest people alive. That’s what makes them perfect for instilling consumer trust in the health benefits of certain produce categories.
That principle is the starting point for most food-and-sports collaborations. But major food brands have learned that, to take it to the next step, health should be only a catalyst, not the main driver.
According to Fresh Del Monte and Wonderful Pistachios, a marketing partnership becomes a dream collaboration when there is a personal touch and/or shared love for the community or product.
Community-focused sports partnerships
Fresh Del Monte, a major Florida-based fruit producer and distributor, consistently partners with local Miami-based sports athletes and teams. Most recently, the company unveiled its latest sports partnership with the NHL’s Florida Panthers.
This is a first for the company, which has never partnered with an NHL team before, and bananas might not be the first thing you think of when you think of hockey.
However, Fresh Del Monte’s Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Product Management, Danny Dumas, said this partnership works because both companies are aligned by their commitment to the community.
“This is about creating meaningful shared experiences for local families,” Dumas said. “By offering Panthers fans the chance to eat our fruit, we hope to highlight the benefits of fresh fruit and bring healthy, fresh options to the Florida community.”
The partnership will bring Fresh Del Monte fruits to select youth hockey games and tournaments. Those attendees will now think of the brand whenever they think of the Panthers, all because of their shared love of hockey.
“Hockey thrives in Florida, and with the Panthers celebrating consecutive cup victories, this partnership brings vitality and strategic relevance to both brands,” he added.
Authenticity in sports collaborations
Shared love for the same community is an excellent drive for a sports partnership. But you can even take it a step further.
A “marketer’s dream,” Vice President of Marketing for Wonderful Pistachios, Diana Salsa, said, is an athlete partnership that shares love for the same community and the brand’s product.
This summer, the top-selling US nut snacking company, Wonderful Pistachios, announced a partnership with Buffalo Bills quarterback, Josh Allen. The NFL star will be featured across Wonderful Pistachios' digital platforms and socials, where he will “promote Wonderful Pistachios as a powerhouse snack for athletes, football fans, and families alike.”
“Josh is a perfect example of someone who doesn't hold back on the field, has a history of farming, and is also from the Central Valley, where our plant resides,” she explained. “He is connected to Wonderful in the deepest, most authentic way, through health, through football, and through philanthropy.”
Photo courtesy of Wonderful Pistachios.
The quarterback’s relationship with agriculture runs deeper than his partnership with Wonderful Pistachios. Allen is a fourth-generation farmer who snacks on pistachios. In his free time, the athlete tends his family farm in Firebaugh, California’s Central Valley, which also supplies one of the Wonderful Pistachios.
So, Josh Allen is not only the protagonist of Wonderful Pistachio’s commercials, but the next time you see a Wonderful Pistachio bag, you might be eating Allen Family Farm pistachios.
“We as people look at athletes as role models for fitness and health, and constantly think about what they put into their bodies to perform on fields or on courts,” says Salsa. “Since the health principle is there, finding your next successful sport collaboration or partner athlete might actually be easier than you think, if you focus on community first."
Related stories:
From game day snacks to brand strategy, ag marketers double down on sports
Fresh Del Monte's Q3 2025: Higher banana prices boost sales amid strategic reductions
Wonderful Pistachios announces partnership with NFL MVP Josh Allen
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