Fresh produce importer-distributor Oppy is once again offering sweet, juicy Italian-style prune-plums to customers, grown at Oregon-based Orchard View Farms.
The deep purple, free-stone fruit is available in 2lb and 1.5lb high graphic bags, as well as 30lb bulk boxes, through mid-September - all available on the Blue Goose label.
“We’re packing this year at Orchard View Farms, our premium Oregon cherry grower partner,” said Evan Myers, executive category director of South American Imports, who also oversees Oppy’s stonefruit business. “Orchard View now has the rights to the Blue Goose trademark. As a result, all the expertise and efficiency Orchard View is renowned for is being applied to the plum-packing process, and it’s showing in the quality.”
Prune-plums are a unique item with a distinctive regional appeal, Myers continued. Grown by local small-scale farmers in Oregon’s Milton-Freewater area, prune-plums enjoy popularity throughout the major eastern US and Canadian metropolitan areas, and intriguingly, Vancouver.
“It’s a traditional ‘old world fruit’ that occupies an interesting niche,” he said. “Wholesalers who serve neighbourhood grocers in places like Chicago or New York can have excellent results with prune-plums.”
At the same time, Myers said, they are being discovered by younger shoppers eager to try something different.
“While prune-plums have been around for a very long time, they are still new to many who grew up enjoying other types of produce,” he said. “And because they have a uniquely sweet and juicy flavour, they earn attention and repeat purchase.”
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