Originally printed in the October 2020 issue of Produce Business.

Cranberries and autumn accompany each other, making the season ideal to promote the original American super-fruit. The largest fresh cranberry selling period begins in early November, leading to Thanksgiving and beyond.

The U.S. fresh crop is harvested and sold in stores September through late December. Because of the fresh crop’s limited seasonal availability, retail supermarkets must develop effective displays heralding the new season’s crop.

“Cranberries have really taken off,” says Don Drust, owner of Drust Markets, a part of ShopRite in Wallingford, CT. “They’re a go-to item. They’ve become more and more popular, and not just with the holidays. People buy and freeze them for later. If we could get fresh ones year-round, they would sell.”

The colorful red fruit is a basic item during the holidays. “Cranberries lend themselves to cornucopia displays and being shown in rustic wooden crates, further connecting the fruit with the farms from which they are harvested,” says Karen Cahill, marketing director of the Cranberry Marketing Committee, based in Wareham, MA.

Click here to read the full article in Produce Business.