Prune news Prune promotions gear up

Prune promotions gear up

Australian Prune Industry Association promotions ramped up during the month of June to focus on a range of activities, including the Good Food & Wine Shows (GFWS) in Melbourne and Sydney, The Cook Up with Adam Liaw on SBS Food, and continuing social media.

APIA promotional spokesperson Peter Raccanello said Covid-19 lockdowns and dining restrictions presented the ideal opportunity to experiment in the kitchen.

“The result has been a real thirst for recipe ideas and new ingredients, particularly those that are Australian grown, so it was great to get prunes out in front of consumers again at the Good Food & Wine Shows (GFWS) after a two-year absence,” he said.

Cassandra Cadorin from Candid Marketing co-ordinated the promotion, which began with social media invites to visit the Ausprunes stand at the GFWS in Melbourne and Sydney, and a competition to win free tickets to the event by tagging a friend and registering.

This was a new initiative from APIA, which Cassandra said had more than 104 responses for the Melbourne show and 325 for the Sydney show.

GFWS were cancelled at the last minute in 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions, and the passionate foodies returned in 2022.

Organisers for the event reported that the Sydney show “felt organised and busy, but not overcrowded in the aisles like it could be sometimes, and that the exhibitors seemed to be having a good show”.

More than 21,700 people attended the Melbourne event over the three days, while in Sydney there were almost 25,900 visitors.

The Ausprunes stand was located in a prime position, close to the entrance, which helped increase visibility and attract visitors.

Growers Frank and Lucy DeRossi and Peter Raccanello volunteered at the Melbourne show, while APIA chairman Tony Toscan and granddaughter Laura were at the Sydney show with growers Jordan and Amanda Adams and Jordan’s parents, Robert and Michelle.

Tony said that it was a real benefit having growers at the event as visitors to the show loved to engage with those at the stand.

“Our stand had five enthusiastic people all day including Cassandra. We conveyed our usual messages about the health benefits of prunes as well as their versatility as an ingredient in lots of recipes or as a simple snack,” he said.

“In contrast, a fresh produce stand near ours was manned with hired staff. It received only a fraction of the visitors that we did.”

Tony said 30 to 40 per cent of visitors to the stand were Asian women who just loved prunes and trusted in the Angas Park and Verity Fruits brands.

About 6000-8000 snack packs supplied by Angas Park Fruit Co and prune samples from Verity Fruits were handed out at each event so that people could sample Australian prunes, some for the first time.

In Melbourne, Peter was delighted to see people walking around the show snacking on prunes, and particularly pleased to see kids sitting in prams developing a taste for the dried fruit.

“There are a still a lot of people out there who just think of prunes as being a laxative for the elderly," Peter said. "They don’t realise that you can cook with prunes in a variety of sweet and savory recipes, or that they are delicious by themselves as a simple, healthy snack.”

“The recipe video was a hit and Cassandra organised a competition to win a year’s supply of prunes by signing up to our database to receive weekly recipe ideas. Almost 200 people signed up in Melbourne and over 470 in Sydney, which shows that people are keen to consume prunes and learn about interesting ways to use them.” Peter said it was also great to see Yenda grower Ann Furner promoting her Naturally Dried Prunes at the show.

“It further demonstrates the versatility of prunes and is an excellent promotion for the industry,” he said.

“Another unexpected opportunity arose when the smelly cheese stand ran out of sultanas to accompany their cheese, and prunes were asked to step in. It just shows what a flexible accompaniment prunes can be.”

All participants agreed that there was much to be gained from interacting with the visitors to GFWS and sharing the prune experience.

The prune-themed ingredient episode on The Cook Up with Adam Liaw went to air on SBS Food channel on Wednesday 29 June. It is available on SBS On Demand, so look for The Cook Up with Adam Liaw Season 2, Episode 73. v

This activity was jointly funded by Angas Park Fruit Company, Verity Fruits and APIA.

Opposite page: All set up and ready for action at the Melbourne GFWS, Cassandra Cadorin, Frank and Lucy DeRossi and Peter Raccanello. Left: An unexpected opportunity to share prunes with the smelly cheese stand. Below: APIA Chair Tony Toscan on hand to share his knowledge of prunes with visitors to the Sydney GFWS.