Team Building for Better Service

Organics Unlimited employees just returned from a week-long trip in Colima, Mexico. All departments from the San Diego and Mexico offices met together for team building exercises, farm tours and educational seminars. The idea of the retreat was for the entire Organics Unlimited team to learn all aspects of the business, arming them with valuable information so they can provide better service to their customers. All employees were able to tour the farms and see tangible examples of acreage, effects of weather patterns and what to expect during growing season. Employees were also granted free time to explore the beautiful, quaint city of Colima, Mexico. We look forward to using all of our new information to help provide superior customer service!

Organic Coconuts - Sustainable Purchases

Coconuts are found in most produce departments, but consumers often don’t buy then because they don’t know what to do with them.  To increase your coconut sales, provide some handy tips for dealing with these hairy produce critters! 

How to pick a coconut:

Good quality coconuts will be juice heavy for their size. You can hear the milk inside a coconut when it is shaken. Avoid coconuts without liquid inside or those with cracked husks and wet or moldy eyes.

How to open a coconut:

1.       Using a screwdriver, corkscrew or a metal skewer make holes in two out of three coconut “eyes”
2.    Drain the coconut water
3.    Wrap the coconut in a towel
4.    With a hammer tap around the coconut’s “equator” till the coconut opens. If you need straight lines, use a hand saw
5.    To release the flesh insert a butter knife between the flesh and the shell and break off small chunks
6.    Shred or slice using a greater, V-slicer or similar
7.    To store for later use, bake in oven on low temperature until dry to touch but still white.

How to use the coconut:

Packaged shredded coconut usually contains preservatives, so fresh organic coconut will be better for your customer’s health.  The coconut water is a refreshing, nutritious beverage.  And the shells?  Well, they can be used for a variety of things.  How about recommending using them as planters or bird baths for your more nature-oriented shoppers who would like to have a completely sustainable purchase?

Keeping Summer Banana Sales Up

With the summer season officially underway, retailers may find a slight decrease in organic banana sales. While bananas are typically the most common fruit bought in stores year round, customers tend to take advantage of the seasonal produce and exotic fruits that peak during the warmer climates. However, increasing banana sales during the summer can be very easy with some cross promotion and unique display ideas:

• Display near fresh berries, milk or even ice cream to encourage summer smoothie making
• Encourage customers to use bananas in refreshing fruit salads made with exotic fruits like starfruit, mango and papaya
• Consider printing recipe cards for encouraging non-conventional use of bananas, such as Organic Banana Ketchup and Creamy Banana Dressing
• Bananas are delicious on the grill! Caramelize by adding a touch of brown sugar and serve with burgers, steaks and grilled fish
• Tell customers to make quick banana roll ups for an easy and healthy portable summer snack
• The combination of sweet strawberries and creamy bananas is extremely popular during the summertime. Display bananas near a case of fresh strawberries
• Customers can make easy banana popsicles by mashing ripe bananas and mixing with some water and non-fat organic yogurt. Scooped into a mold and stuck in the freezer, these popsicles make a fresh, healthy and refreshing summertime snack
  

Cross promoting and creative display tactics are a great way to increase sales during a somewhat slow-selling season!

Bananas as Baby Food

Did you know bananas are one of the first solid foods babies can eat? Packed with nutrients and easy to digest, bananas can be a great food for babies 4 mouths and older. Often called one of nature’s perfect foods, bananas contain many of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals young bodies need to thrive. With high amounts of potassium and fiber, bananas contribute to healthy blood pressures and heart functions during the development stage. And make them organic for optimal nutrients, elimination of chemical residues and overall health benefits.

Encourage your customers to make their own baby food using Organics Unlimited bananas. Making baby food is easy, takes little time and is the only way to ensure the quality of the ingredients. Here are some quick ways to turn organic bananas into baby food:

· Mash one ripe banana with water or formula using a fork (4-6 months)

· Peel and cut one ripe banana and one ripe avocado. Blend in a food processor (4-6 months)

· Place 2 ripe bananas, 3 egg yolks and ½ cup milk in a food processor. Blend till smooth and add a pinch of cinnamon. (8-10 months)

· Combine ¼ steel cut oats with ½ cup milk. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Mash ½ a banana with ¼ milk, then combine with the oats (8-10 months)

Why not set up a baby food display and cross-promote all of these items, with hints for new moms who want to raise healthy, sustainable babies?

Organics Unlimited Introduces Fair Trade Bananas!

You talked, we listened! Due to customer demand, Organics Unlimited is now the first company to offer Fair Trade Certified™ organic bananas from Mexico. With our growing area the closest proximity to the US, we can provide organic bananas under the Fair Trade Certified label with a turnaround of four days from harvest to market.

We’ve always found it important to give back to our banana-growing communities, and we also realize the popularity and consumer awareness Fair Trade has with some of your customers. We are excited to offer this option, along with the GROW label and the Organics Unlimited label. We continue to support the GROW program which provides educational and health program support to workers, their families and their neighbors.

Interested in getting Fair Trade Certified bananas for your store? Contact Mayra Velasquez de Leon at mayra@organicsunlimited.com.