Bringing brands to the produce aisle: Dragon Fuel

  By Gonzalo López Martí – Creative director, etc    /    LMMiami.com

• Dear readers, let’s play a game: name a branded fruit outside of the bananas category
• Still thinking?
• Let me reformulate the question: name a registered trademark you recall from the produce aisle that is not Chiquita or Dole.
• Nope, Haas is not a brand of avocados, it is a variety.
• Relax, it happens to the best of us.
• How is it possible that, in a world so saturated with brands, the realm of fruits & veggies is still a virgin territory of quasi commodities?
• Oddly enough, there are quite a few commodities in the literal sense of the word that have achieved differentiation and added value through branding.
• Eg; coffee, a category full of cheap, premium, domestic, imported and niche brands: Folgers, Maxwell House, Illy, Lavazza, Bustelo, Pilón, etc etc.
• Apples?
• Oranges?
• Nope, Gala is not a brand, neither is Granny Smith nor Navel.
• They are “cultivars”, mutations.
• Funny thing is, most of the colorful products lining up the produce aisle are indeed labeled by their producers and/or distributors.
• Buyers from retail outlets know them full well.
• Consumers?
• Not so much
• If you take a close look at the tiny stickers on most fruits and veggies, almost all of them have some sort of logo &/or commercial id.
• It just so happens that growers and distributors rarely take their marketing efforts to the next level.
• Lack of vision?
• Inertia?
• Who knows.
• The good news: J&C Tropicals, a company based in South Florida, wants to change this reality.
• Introducing Dragon Fuel, J&C Tropicals’ registered trademark of dragon fruit.
• Both in its white and red flesh varieties, dragon fruit or “pitaya”, as it is called in Spanish, is a renowned superfood with a fast-growing fan base among health-conscious Millennials, Centennials and other Ennials.
• Kids love it and it is a perfect snack for active people on the go.
• The peel comes off effortlessly in one pull.
• Its smooth flesh is great for smoothies and chopped in salads.
• Or just cut in half to be eaten it with a spoon like you’d eat a yogurt or ice cream.
• “The growth in demand we’ve experienced is amazing”, points out Jessie Capote, vice president & owner of Miami-based J&C Tropicals. “We’re going to pack and distribute 2 million pounds or more this year — that´s 100% more than we did last year. I’ll be honest, we just can’t grow enough of the thing. We’re pleasantly surprised where this’s been trending,”
• J&C Tropicals launched its Dragon Fuel brand in May with a new packaging that has been very well received by retailers and consumers.
• “The bulk packaging everybody uses is unappealing. Our new packs carry standardized fruit sizes and feature new designs and colors, as well as improved airflow”, Capote said.
• “We have a lot of marketing and educational material out there”, he added.
• The long-term goal: to become a synonym of premium dragon fruit.
• In other words: to be the FedEx or the Xerox of its category.
• Take a look at dragonfuel.us
• Full disclosure: López Martí Miami, employer of yours truly, developed the brand name, logo, packaging and assorted efforts for POS, traditional and digital media.