WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--If love makes the world go around then 2014 should be twice as nice for America’s tens of millions of banana fans.
Last year, Dole’s nationwide Peel the Love Tour handed out 107,703 recipe samples made from DOLE® Bananas at 147 tour stops at supermarkets, special events and other local venues. But for Dole, the world’s top producer of fruits and vegetables, 2013 was just the start of a multiyear road journey to get Americans to eat more bananas, pineapples and other fruits and vegetables – and have fun doing it.
At the request of retailers and consumers nationwide, Dole and Blue Diamond Almond Breeze are launching two simultaneous Peel the Love Banana Cabana Tours in 2014. The tour will reacquaint Americans with the fun, whimsy and versatility of bananas and offer compelling new ways to add fresh produce to summer meals, snacking, parties and entertaining plans. Thanks to separate tours launching Memorial Day Weekend covering the Eastern and Western portions of the U.S., Dole will be able to visit banana fans in 26 cities by Labor Day.
“Last year, our Peel the Love Tour took the eating-healthy-can-be-fun message to banana lovers in 10 cities across the country,” said Bil Goldfield, Dole Fresh Fruit Company’s director of corporate communications. “But almost from the start, consumers and retailers wanted more. So, we’re doubling the love in 2014 to help meet untapped demand for recipes, serving suggestions and other tangible ways to put the ‘fun’ back in summer produce.”
Organized by DOLE® Bananas and co-sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze® Almondmilk, the two caravans will depart New York City and Dallas simultaneously on May 26 to deliver the message of tasty nutrition to local supermarkets, public events and venues in 26 cities in 21 states over 104 days. The colorfully wrapped Tour vehicles and “Banana Cabanas” will offer banana recipes, recipe booklets, product samples, banana-themed kid’s activity sheets and other free giveaways. A full Tour schedule will be posted in April at www.dole.com/peelthelove.
For the first time, visitors at each Peel the Love Banana Cabana Tour stop can present a grocery receipt showing a DOLE® Bananas qualifying purchase to receive a complimentary gift such as a commemorative DOLE® hat, T-shirt or other branded item. Also new for 2014 is a focus on other tropical fruits including DOLE® Pineapples. Visitors at select Tour stops can learn how to peel and cut a pineapple from a live demonstration and enjoy fresh-cut DOLE® Pineapple samples.
The Eastern Tour will depart from New York City and visit New Jersey; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Virginia; Raleigh, N.C.; Columbia, S.C.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Alabama; Mississippi; St. Louis; Des Moines, Iowa; and Minneapolis.
The Western Tour will leave Dallas and visit Houston; San Antonio; Salt Lake City; Phoenix; San Diego; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Reno, Nev.; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle.
Both Tours will feature sampling of a new batch of Peel the Love salad, sandwich, entrée, snack and dessert recipes designed by the Dole Test Kitchens to showcase the taste, versatility, nutrition and convenience of DOLE® Bananas, DOLE® Pineapple and other fresh fruits and vegetables. These range from Caribbean Jerk Shrimp and Banana Kabobs and Banana Pudding Pops to DOLE Banana S’mores and Dole Grilled Bananas. Select Tour recipes also feature Blue Diamond Almond Breeze® Almondmilk, including Banana Cabana Smoothie, Sticky Banana Spread, Banana Pineapple Coconut Smoothie and Chocolate Monkey.
Partnership with Blue Diamond
Returning as Tour co-sponsor is Blue Diamond Almond Breeze® Almondmilk, which will join DOLE® Bananas as a featured ingredient in many of the 2014 Peel the Love recipes.
“We’re delighted to partner again with Dole in 2014. Peel the Love is the perfect fit for Blue Diamond since we’re also committed to showing consumers that summer eating can be nutritious, delicious and fun,” said Suzanne Hagener, group marketing manager of Blue Diamond Almond Breeze®. “Through the Tour recipes that feature Almond Breeze®, we hope to prove that almond milk is a convenient and nutritious alternative to traditional milk options, and it tastes great. The tour will feature Almond Breeze in several recipes that are not only delicious, but also fit with a healthy lifestyle, which we believe is important.”
The dual Peel the Love Banana Cabana Tours are part of DOLE® Bananas Peel the Love, a multiyear initiative to remind Americans about the fun and nutritional significance of the world’s most popular fruit, and encourage greater consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables overall. In addition to showcasing new recipes and serving suggestions, Dole will engage with the more than 1 million DOLE® Banana and Blue Diamond Almond Breeze® social media fans.
Like last year, Dole will continue to educate registered dieticians (RDs), supermarket nutritionists, food bloggers and other influencers through media appearances, tastings and educational summits.
Banana lovers can learn more about 2014 Peel the Love, including recipes, Banana Cabana Tour stops and other details at www.dole.com/peelthelove. A full Peel the Love Banana Cabana Tour schedule will be posted in the spring.
For more information on DOLE® Bananas, including recipes, serving suggestions and other information, go to http://www.dole.com/Products/Fresh-Fruits/Bananas or http://www.dole.com/Bananas, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter at www.facebook.com/DOLEBananas or www.twitter.com/DOLEBananas, respectively.
For information and recipes on Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk please go to www.almondbreeze.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AlmondBreeze.
About Blue Diamond Growers
Blue Diamond Growers is the world’s largest almond marketer and processor. It is responsible for developing the industry and opening world markets over 100 years ago when Spain and Italy were the major producers of almonds. While the U.S. market is the largest single market for almonds, over 70 percent of them are exported to 95 countries worldwide. Almonds are California’s largest food export and they rank among the top ten food exports in America. California produces over 80 percent of the world’s supply.
About DOLE Bananas
DOLE® Bananas are the top-selling banana in America and the world — in both conventional and organic product categories. From its founding by James Drummond Dole, the company has built its reputation on a ceaseless commitment to quality. Today, the DOLE® brand stands for more than 150 years of quality produce — and the world’s largest supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables, including bananas. Dole strives to grow, produce, harvest, transport and distribute its bananas and other produce in the most environmentally and socially conscious way possible. Dole Fresh Fruit Company is based in Westlake Village, Calif.
About Dole Food Company, Inc.
Dole Food Company, Inc. is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, Dole is an industry leader in many of the products it sells, as well as in nutrition education and research. For more information, please visit www.dole.com.
