Dole, Eosta, Florette, Del Monte and a whole bunch of Dutch companies put some serious effort into this year’s silliness
Press releases issued on 1 April tend to have a whiff of fakery about them, and yesterday was no exception – especially for the fruit and veg business.
Several fresh produce companies attempted their own April Fools’ day prank, among them Dole, Eosta, Florette, and Fresh Del Monte.
At the same time, fruit featured in a number of pretend stories in other industries – including a pear-based skincare regime and Zizzi’s tomato candyfloss pizza topping.
Eosta’s launch of a new hybrid product called a raspalis – a new variety that combines the best of raspberry and physalis – appears to have caught one or two industry publications off guard in the US and Germany – including our own colleagues.
“We expect this new variety to be a surprising addition to the existing soft fruit assortment,” a spokesperson for Eosta said, revealing that world-famous singer Shakira would lead the official launch in Colombia.
Meanwhile, Fresh Del Monte unveiled the mind-boggling Del Monte No24 – Eau de Thon Ananas, its first-ever pineapple‑infused tuna spread presented in an elevated, fragrance‑inspired format.
And elsewhere, salad brand Florette heralded an unexpected pivot into the beauty aisle with the UK launch of HydroLeaf Miracle Moisturise – billed as a “revolutionary” daily face cream inspired by the hydrating, crisp freshness of a leafy salad.
“Powered by a hydrating hit of Hyaluronic Acid and Florette’s exclusive Frisée Leaf Antioxidant Complex, this lightweight cream promises Clinically Fresh Hydration from Farm to Face,” it said.
Sophie Taylor, Florette brand manager and – for one day only – its lead botanical dermatologist, added: “Our customers asked us how we keep our leaves so unbelievably crisp. It suddenly dawned on us: why shouldn’t your face get the exact same world-class hydration as our leaves?”
Drole Dole
But it was probably the Dole brand which sowed the most confusion. Firstly, it trumpeted the arrival of Dole Whiff, a range of fruit-scented airs in four flavours – Pineapple Harvest, Mango Sunrise, Banana Breeze, and Strawberry Dream.
Each can of air, it said, was sustainably canned in the field and sealed within seconds, for the “freshest whiff possible”.
“We’ve delivered fresh fruit for generations. Now, we’re delivering the air around it,” it commented. “When you pop a can of Dole Whiff, the unmistakable scent of our single-origin pineapple reserve field #7, Row 12, harvested at sunrise, illuminates your senses, instantly transporting you to tropical paradise.”
And its second prank was a tinned Hawaiian pizza, a more convenient way for people to enjoy the controversial classic.
Tao Baidoun, brand manager at Dole Sunshine Company, was quoted as saying that the most common use of its tinned pineapple in the UK was for making homemade Hawaiian pizzas.
“Since we’re all about making life easier when it comes to fruit, we thought why not simplify things even further and create the full experience in one tin?”
Fresh frivolity
The Dutch probably scoop this year’s prize for the produce industry’s most commited April Fools’ day participants. These included:
- Proefstation voor de Groenteteelt’s Paprika Incepta pepper
- HortiHeroes’ plan for a Dutch Tomatina
- Berrybrothers’ square raspberries
- Source.ag’s ‘verbal plant encouragement’ software
- Boekel AGF’s new aubergine-courgette hybrid
In the US too, there were some fine produce-related examples of the April Fool art.
These included Guac-O’s, Avocados from Mexico’s cute new guacamole-flavoured cereal, and a conveniently stackable square melon from Westside Produce.
And in France, breeder Rijk Zwaan entered into the spirit of things with another bright idea – bioluminescent leeks.
