Latest trends article points to growers, distributors, and chefs creating the next ‘it’ vegetable
Source: Wall Street Journal
Los Alamitos, CA (August 2017) – What makes produce trend? Wall Street Journal writer Karen Stabiner sought out to answer that question in the newspaper’s latest food trend story, “Forecasting the Next Food Fad: Are ‘Kohlrabi’ and ‘Yacon’ the Next Kale?” published on July 27.
The author reached out to Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce, as well as top-trending chefs and farmers, to report on the new urgency of fruit and vegetable trends and the increasing demand for the latest items at restaurants, grocery stores, and home delivery services.
“…Caplan has never seen anything like the current scramble for marquee produce. ‘Information travels at the speed of light’ in the Instagram era, she said. The next big thing gets a lot more exposure, and faces a lot more competition,” said the article.
Stabiner discusses the synergy between farmers and chefs with exclusive new vegetables, both on the small scale and larger scale, touching on items like kohlrabi, broccolini, escarole, and tropical root yacon.
Stabiner explains that national distributors like Frieda’s often take a more strategic approach to trend-building, requiring a product to have “volume and a decent shelf life.”
“For example, yacon was brought to our attention a few years ago,” added Caplan. “But the volume was limited and shelf life was just not viable for retail.”
Other trending items mentioned in the article include jackfruit and Frieda’s exclusive Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes—both with good shelf life, great volume, and stable supply to be available anywhere and almost year-round.
Watch Karen talks about how produce trends:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoVqiE2ekRc]
About Frieda’s Inc.
Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.