When Life Gives You Lemons, Make a TikTok – Sunkist Growers is keeping citrus celebrations fresh by demonstrating the power of versatility and saluting the co-op’s refreshing summer citrus varieties. As inflation drives a cultural shift in grocery priorities, Sunkist is determined to help price-conscious consumers, especially millennials and Gen-Zs, make healthier choices without compromising taste or budget.
“We understand the importance of providing consumers with accessible and nutritious options,” notes Trent Bishop, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “That’s why we are committed to offering citrus options that are both versatile and affordable, allowing consumers to reclaim their health without sacrificing flavor or breaking the bank. As we focus on striking the right balance between embracing the vibrant energy of summer and educating consumers about new and exciting ways to utilize the whole fruit, we are helping shoppers make their citrus purchases even more worthwhile.”
Sunkist’s summer citrus varieties – Valencia oranges, lemons, and grapefruit – offer delicious flavors and vital nutrients that enhance overall well-being. “Our goal this summer is to get inflation-pinched shoppers to make citrus an essential item at checkout,” adds Trent. “Through our impactful marketing programs and interactive in-store tools, we can collaborate with our retail partners to engage with shoppers in real-time and help drive sales.”
With most shoppers planning fruit purchases before entering the store, Sunkist continues to engage with shoppers where they show up, and right now, that’s TikTok, a platform where millennial and Gen Z consumers are spending increasing amounts of time and where culinary inspiration and discovery thrive. The Sunkist Unlimited campaign highlights the boundless versatility and flavor of current in-season varieties, tapping into viral recipes and collaborations with foodie influencers who shared their best citrus-inspired tips, tricks, and hacks. Consumers can easily substitute in-season, Valencia oranges, also known as the “summer orange,” into any trending recipe, as these oranges are perfect for juicing and are available now through October.
“Citrus is an important part of the consumers’ shopping basket throughout the summer,” says Director of Category and Consumer Insights, Cassie Howard. “Citrus is top-of-mind from July through October, according to Circana, where citrus represents 10 percent of total fruit dollars sold at retail across the U.S.”
Through a series of duets and stitches, Sunkist TikTok creators concocted mouth-watering dishes that share innovative ways to bring in-season Sunkist citrus to the table. Whether through trending recipes such as the potato and courgette fritter or lemony Senegalese-inspired cottage cheese toast, or sharing helpful hacks including lemon ice cubes and orange sugar rims, Sunkist has demonstrated many ways for today’s consumers to get creative in the kitchen and step up cocktails, baking, recipes, and even ways to clean a stubborn microwave.
At Sunkist, we often refer to our lemons as culinary superstars because of the fruit’s diverse range across recipes, serving as a flavor booster, and even as a simple alternative for salt without sacrificing flavor. “Summer is peak season for lemon purchases, with more households buying lemons than at other times of the year,” chimes Cassie. “Circana shows that in the last 13 weeks through June, 5lb. lemon bags increased over 5 percent versus last year and 20 percent compared to two seasons ago. With lemons often planned purchases for consumers as they are versatile and indispensable in the kitchen, it’s important for retailers to provide flexible packaging options to help meet consumers’ needs.”
Rounding out available in-season summer citrus varietals include nutrient A-lister, California Star Ruby grapefruits. “We have learned a lot about the grapefruit shopper over the years, and according to a Sunkist-commissioned study, new shoppers are important to the category, representing nearly 1/3 of all grapefruit households, and are predominantly millennials and Gen Zer's,” adds Cassie. “With today’s evolving shoppers relying on the produce department for real-time information, in-store display contests are a great way to capture your consumer's interest. Be sure to contact your local Sunkist sales rep to learn more.”
A fully-interactive Sunkist Unlimited website was launched to highlight the infinite potential of our in-season citrus, making recipe discovery even easier. The website hosts all the trending TikTok tutorials and incorporates a surprise generator to inspire visitors to utilize our citrus in fun and unexpected ways to Celebrate Every Bite™ throughout the summer. The site further demonstrates the unlimited nature of Sunkist citrus by expanding the website's search filters for more personalized search results, such as selecting by key ingredients, dietary requirements, or prep time. In addition, Sunkist has capitalized on shopper data around consumers wanting to know where the food comes from and has upgraded the “Where-to-Buy” platform on Sunkist.com so consumers can easily search what stores are carrying in-season, summer citrus varieties while on-the-go.
Squeeze the day and visit Sunkist.com and @SunkistCitrus on TikTok for more ways to beat the heat this summer.
