Dole wants America to have a banana
WESTKLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Dole is on a 4,800-mile banana truck tour in an attempt to get Americans to eat more fruits and veggies, namely bananas. Company representatives will travel for a total of 102 days in a pink-and-turquoise truck during the Peel the Love Summer Food Truck Tour.
The truck will stop at supermarkets, public events and other venues. Dole representatives will offer banana recipes, recipe cards, product samples and other free giveaways, such as Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk, Dole Fruit Bowls and Dole Squish’ems product samples; banana-themed coloring books, T-shirts, hats and discount coupons and brochures. Healthy-eating experts will also lead nutritional rallies, games and contests at after-school centers and other nonprofits in select cities.
Co-sponsoring the trip are Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk and Dole Packaged Foods featuring Dole Fruit Bowl and Dole Squish’ems.
The truck will stop in Seattle; Sacramento, Calif.; Los Angeles; Phoenix; Houston; Des Moines, Iowa; Baltimore/Washington, D.C. and New York City, all of which, according to the company, enjoy significantly higher per-capita banana consumption than the national average.
The tour is targeting health-, fitness- and lifestyle-oriented consumers and partnering with retailers to suggest new serving, pairing and entertaining options.
The truck will be outfitted with oversized screens that showcase a variety of educational videos showing the journey of bananas from the field to the store.
“After months of planning, we’re excited to finally be hitting the road to take our message that bananas and nutrition can be fun to cities from coast to coast,” explained Bil Goldfield, communications manager of Dole Fresh Fruit. “We’ll be bringing free samples, coupons and compelling new recipes to banana lovers at public events, nonprofit agencies and some of the most popular supermarkets in America.”
“The Peel the Love Food Truck Tour is a perfect fit for healthy-eating brands like Dole and Blue Diamond,” said Suzanne Hagener, senior marketing manager of Blue Diamond Almond Breeze. “Now, instead of just reading about healthy summer eating, families from Seattle to New York City can see firsthand just how simple and healthy summertime cooking and entertaining can be.”