REVIEW: Giving Sumo Citrus another chance

I’ve been hearing from retail buyers about Sumo Citrus for years. It was the best orange they’ve ever had, hands-down.

You’d think I’d have tried it before now, but I hadn’t, until the boys and I tried it during our Citrus Fest free-for-all.

I paid $4 for a single piece of fruit (shame on you, Central Market, for that price. Seriously? Err…rather…shame on me for paying it?)

When I walked the show floor at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure in Tampa, I came across the Sumo Citrus both and they offered me a bag. I said I’d tried them but it just wasn’t my preference.

They convinced me to give them another chance.

Ok, I get it now. I think the one I had before was, perhaps, too early in the season? The texture was kind of chewy and it was very sour.

These? These basically melted in your mouth and created an explosion of citrus flavor. Ok, I’m sold.

But is also reinforces what A&M Consumer and Retail Group’s senior director John Clear said during the Power of Produce session. When people don’t have a lot to spend, we have to deliver the first time.

“People are still willing to spend on produce, but they’re a lot more discerning about what they’re getting,” he said.   

Clear stressed that getting it right the first time is more important than ever.  

“They need value for everything they pay for,” he said. “We don’t get a lot of second chances. If we don’t fulfill that value proposition for them, they’re going to go somewhere else.”  

If I hadn’t had a guy literally hand me a piece of fruit at the expo, I might not have given Sumo Citrus another chance.

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