Bold. Daring. Off the Cuff.
These are a few words some might use to describe younger generations. With social media constantly sending new trends into the stratosphere, Millennial and Gen Z shoppers are keeping our industry on its toes. Fowler Packing Company has witnessed this energetic movement develop in recent years and is well-versed in satisfying consumer demand.
In the supplier’s latest move, Fowler Packing introduced a campaign for its Peelz brand that is as bold, daring, and off the cuff as the shoppers who frequent the grocery store. Looking at a sneak peek of the new branding a few months ago, I was entranced by the technicolor palette and cheeky taglines such as “The Best Fruit in the World (Sue Us, Bananas).” With branding as strong as this, Fowler Packing is clearly pressing the gas on citrus promotion.
“Our brand refresh includes an all-new website, packaging, messaging, and visuals,” Kiah Ruvalcaba, Director of Marketing, explained to me. “Last year, we conducted a brand focus study and learned that people love the modern savviness of our brand and we thought there was an opportunity to push it
even further.”
With this refresh, Fowler is modernizing the brand to resonate with its core target shoppers, emulating the premium quality of its citrus. However, the company is still retaining the Peelz name and logo, ensuring the packaging feels familiar to loyal fans. Vibrant blues, oranges, greens, and purples will now adorn the entire lineup, and the new packaging reduces Fowler’s total plastic usage by 13 percent.
The visual elements are what will initially draw shoppers in, and this key sustainability component and the products’ high quality are what will keep them coming back. Of course, that is exactly what Fowler had in mind when creating this colorful campaign.
“Our fans were the real inspiration behind the refresh. When they’re in the store, they look for things that stand out to them—they want to be surprised and they want to feel the fun. We made sure our exterior packaging matches the quality and awesomeness of the product inside,” Kiah continued. “Our shoppers value brands that care about their people, sustainability, and communities, and that’s Peelz in a nutshell. In essence, we’re building a lifestyle brand because, at the end of the day, Peelz citrus fits any mood and moment.”
Kiah said it perfectly: Peelz is becoming a lifestyle brand. To do this, Fowler is integrating Peelz into all the places and things its shoppers care about. They value quality foods, experiences, companies with values, and health and wellness, so the company is narrowing in on how to communicate that. Think building and bus billboards that encourage consumers with phrases like “Carpe Peel ’Em,” or “Fast Food Without the Self Loathing.” By showing them where to incorporate Peelz in their lives, the brand becomes synonymous with comfort.
“Our goal is for shoppers to see Peelz as their go-to citrus for everyone, anytime,” Kiah told me. “We want them to look at citrus in a new way. They want to squeeze the most out of life, and we’re giving them the juice.”
Fowler Packing continues to do the heavy lifting for its partners. It is supporting the in-store foot traffic and sales with its larger-than-life marketing campaign, which includes out of home, road tour, social media, and an advertising partnership with Planet Fitness.
“Our full Peelz citrus lineup has a fun, cohesive look designed to pop in the store. The color palette, naming, and box design all come together to reduce clutter and create more eye-catching visuals in the department. Shoppers will definitely notice. We encourage retailers to run cross-promotions in the citrus category to drive incremental purchases,” Kiah noted.
As Fowler Packing takes to the streets to highlight its new brand campaign, produce managers should be strategizing on how to maximize impact on shelves. Because the refresh was inspired by consumers, there is a unique opportunity to improve the shopping experience with this program.
“Consumer patterns are changing, and they’re spending more on food than ever before,” Kiah relayed. “Keep citrus promotions running frequently and rotate offerings between citrus items. Highlight peak-season fruit and limited-time varieties with ad promotion and pricing. Create in-store experiences for shoppers to try specialty varieties such as Dekopons, Cara Caras, and Blood oranges. Most of all, have fun with it, because that’s what Peelz citrus is all about.”
Fowler Packing has put in the work to make this brand even more appealing to consumers. Peelz has had explosive growth in the last five years, and the brand isn’t stopping anytime soon. Because, as the bold, daring, and off-the-cuff campaign boasts, this is not your parents’ citrus. 
