On a bright, chilly morning at the beginning of fall, an artist sits on her stool in front of a large canvas, her face pensive as she meticulously ponders each stroke of her brush. It is a diligent yet freeing act, the process of capturing the world’s beauty in a single tangible creation.
In a different sphere, a produce manager greets his daily fresh fruit and vegetable delivery. He eyes the day’s possibilities, visualizing category sets, planograms, and creative ways to drive sizable sales lifts and reduce shrink while making his department pop with color and culinary inspiration.
That, my friends, is the art of merchandising, and Giumarra Companies offers produce artists the tools they need to create a masterful display.
Take, for example, the Fuyu persimmon. Kellee Harris, Vice President, Retail Merchandising Services for Giumarra, details how the company’s merchandising moves have helped reposition the persimmon as a more mainstream product, changing the way consumers view the fruit as well as the way retailers merchandise it.
“Historically, Fuyus have been more of a niche item, so merchandising plays a huge role when introducing consumers to this amazing seasonal fruit and educating them about its flavor and versatility,” Kellee explains. “Collaborations with our retail partners promoting our Do You Fuyu tagline through coordinated brand merchandising have helped our persimmons gain traction, and retailers are now dedicating more real estate to the fruit with bins and bagged options.”
In fact, since the brand rolled out merchandising services in 2018, Giumarra Companies reported an approximately 75 percent increase in persimmon bulk and package sales for customers using the company’s merchandising program elements. These include display bins, posters, recipe cards, and floor decals—many of which feature a QR code linked to the company’s consumer website.
By pulling the category to the front of the produce department and away from its usual back corner on the exotics table, Giumarra channeled increased creativity into a space that tends to see a more traditional merchandising approach. Plus, the company has proven a combination display of bagged and bulk fruit adds rings at the register.
“What we’re finding is that today, customization is key. Retailers may request signage with their logo and brand identity in a specific size to fit their store fixtures,” says Megan Gorgisheli, Vice President, Marketing Administration and Brand. “We adapt to individual merchandising plans and collaborate with the retailer and their department manager, who can work magic because they know their shopper base the best.”
Whether it be the rising Fuyu persimmon, Giumarra’s exclusive Lemonade™ apples, or its premium DulceVida™ nectarines, the producer is putting the paintbrush back into retailers’ hands, welcoming department managers to take part in the art of merchandising.
One prominent illustration of this is the supplier’s Lemonade apple variety, which Giumarra has seen rise by 350 percent in package sales since merchandising materials were introduced in 2020. One key aspect is the bright, sky blue branding and packaging materials of this crispy, crunchy, yellow variety that stands out in a sea of red and green apples. The colorful displays draw in shoppers, who are intrigued by the Lemonade name and the variety’s flavor.
"We adapt to individual merchandising plans and collaborate with the retailer and their department manager, who can work magic because they know their shopper base the best."
- Megan Gorgisheli, Vice President, Marketing Administration and Brand, Giumarra Companies
“It’s important to watch current consumer cooking and eating habits,” adds Kellee. “Shoppers want something quick and easy to make with limited ingredients. They want it to be trendy, and they want the finished dish to be photo-worthy. There are all kinds of ways to communicate what shoppers can do with a fruit that is new, on-trend, and different. For example, Giumarra provides innovative Lemonade point of sale (POS) using professionally photographed and plated recipes inspired by culinary professionals.”
Megan and Kellee go on to discuss the brand’s Snap & Go approach, which provides shoppers with a convenient recipe they can snap a picture of right there in the store with their phones. Another option is scanning the QR code linked to the consumer website or accessing the recipe through the photo later depending on their individual preferences. This strategy has helped elevate offerings like the Fuyu persimmon and Lemonade apple.
Another product seeing the results of Giumarra’s artistic approach is its DulceVida nectarines, a French-bred, California-grown stonefruit label capturing consumer attention with the promise of quality, luxury, and amazing flavor. Since 2018, Giumarra’s efforts have led to a 600 percent increase in DulceVida package sales to the customers using its merchandising, Kellee tells me.
“Our DulceVida nectarines ship in elegant cartons that merchandise beautifully in the store,” Kellee details, walking me through some of the various ways grocers have utilized the cases to boost the category. “Retailers love to stack the new single-layer Euro carton or smaller consumer boxes into towers to tell the story both in the produce department and at checkout stands. We provide some retailers with empty cartons to use as an incentive for our partners to build inventive displays that feature the product and draw the consumer’s eye, allowing produce managers to get creative and ‘romance’ the shopper.”
Other strategies include insightful Meet the Grower events and in-store demos and sampling, telling the farm-to-fork story through personal stories and product testing. Add to that digital merchandising and couponing, and the online/offline worlds converge.
Giumarra Companies works with merchandising partners to aid its customers in setting up these enticing displays tied to seasonal programs or special promotional “blitzes.” All of this is done to help the retailer reach a wider range of consumers.
“People feel strongly about where they shop, and they rely on their stores as sources for information on new products and promotions,” Megan says, outlining the idea behind the company’s multifaceted merchandising blueprint. “It’s about meeting the consumer where they are and covering your bases to make sure you reach as many people as possible, whether it be in-store, online, or a combination of the two.”
"There are all kinds of ways to communicate what shoppers can do with a fruit that is new, on-trend, and different."
- Kellee Harris, Vice President, Retail Merchandising Services, Giumarra Companies
Regardless of which merchandising pain point a retailer may be dealing with, Giumarra has a vast portfolio of solutions to ensure any grocer can harness their own artistry to capture shopper dollars. It is what Megan jokingly calls “a Cheesecake Factory-sized menu of options” for produce managers.
In an era where consumers are looking for an enjoyable experience at each point of their shopping trip, it’s time to think about the bigger picture.
How can we take a step back from the canvas, examine the details, and ensure our merchandising efforts reflect the vibrant industry these products come from? I’ll tell you.
Pick up your metaphorical paintbrush and let your merchandising creativity splash across the produce department. Your efforts will inspire shoppers to master their own fresh culinary creations at home. 
