Sunkist Growers Revamps Cara Program; Meet The Pink Orange

September 25, 2023, Valencia, Calif. – Sunkist Growers comprises over 1,000 multi-generational farmers, many of whom specialize in Cara Cara oranges, leading the cooperative to serve as one of the largest Cara suppliers in the game. Super sweet. Uniquely pink. Sunkist has redesigned its packaging options and merchandising offerings based on consumer trends and insights to better drive the category this citrus season.

Health continues to be top-of-mind as consumers repeatedly seek out products that play a role in supporting holistic lifestyles, and The Pink Orange, Cara Cara, is no exception. Orange on the outside, and pink on the inside, Caras get their unique pink interior from the antioxidant lycopene. Offering 100 percent of the daily vitamin C intake, this specialty orange variety also contains key nutrients like folate, fiber, and potassium.

“Cara sales have increased in both dollars and volume this year versus last season,” said Cassie Howard, Sr. Director of Category Management and Marketing. “In the 3lb bag, the #1 selling pack size, we have seen increases by almost 20 percent year-over-year.”

To better comprehend the ever-changing behavior behind today’s consumers, Sunkist has newly commissioned studies shedding light on key purchase motivators and recommendations needed to fine-tune the overall experience for citrus shoppers. Sunkist is able to apply these insights into action, customizing packaging, merchandising and shopper-marketing program offerings to each retailer’s unique goals and consumer requests.

“We’ve been watching the Cara shopper closely over these last few seasons,” adds Cassie. “We know that consumers prefer to shop in-stores for produce, especially oranges, stressing the importance of eye-catching designs and engaging displays. Consumers want to be heard, and we’re listening to the feedback and applying real-time changes, revamping our messaging and packaging to own the Cara category and be more easily-recognizable in-stores for shoppers.”

Sunkist’s new “all pink” packaging and matching merchandising for Caras will be making its debut this citrus season. The new bag designs were tested amongst avid orange shoppers, with the consumers gravitating towards the pink bag and “The Pink Orange” as a simple and straightforward identifier for the Cara category. Nearly half of these respondents also indicated that the new design elicits fun and excitement, and 58% said they would definitely buy this product if available today.

Data-led and shopper-focused, be sure to contact your local Sunkist sales rep to learn more about Sunkist’s new Cara 3lb bag option and display bins available for this season.

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Sunkist Growers is a citrus marketing cooperative, founded in 1893, which is owned by and operated for thousands of family farmers growing citrus in California and Arizona. For more information, visit www.sunkist.com.