2024 Thanksgiving Guide for Produce Professionals
Thanksgiving has been celebrated across the US for centuries. It’s one of the most important holidays in the country – and one of the only holidays where consumers sit down at the dinner table with their loved ones to enjoy a home-cooked meal.
Produce is at the core of Thanksgiving. As a produce professional, there are many opportunities available for the holiday. Read on for the top tips in maximizing your Thanksgiving strategy:
Determine Volumes
Thanksgiving is rooted in produce – the first Thanksgiving recognized the initial autumn harvest of the pilgrims. That’s why it’s one of the biggest holidays for fresh fruit and vegetables. Before getting to promotions or menu prep, think about what varieties will attract your audience.
Demand can also skyrocket among certain varieties for the holiday, pre-booking with your supplier is always highly recommended for best availability.
Pre-book Herbs
Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays for herbs. Specifically sage, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. These herbs perfectly compliment a number of popular Thanksgiving dishes. They truly do it all – from sweet to savory and from seasoning meats to side dishes. The flexibility of these herbs cause demand to peak for Thanksgiving. For best availability, start pre-booking herbs for the holiday before demand (and in turn the market) creep up.
Monitor Availability
Like we said before, demand for herbs increases for the holiday. Although Thanksgiving is a big holiday for herbs overall, there are many other varieties (like sweet potatoes, yams, squashes, and Brussels sprouts just to name a few) that are popular for the holiday.
Make sure to stay up to date on availability as Thanksgiving nears to ensure your holiday strategy is in line with the market.
Consider Promotions and Special Orders
You may already know the saying – if you’re not early, you’re late. Before Thanksgiving arrives, start talking to your produce supplier about holiday-centric promotions. Work together to determine programs and if special orders are needed. This is the best strategy to ensure availability and will make it easier to adapt to the market as we get closer to Thanksgiving.
–
Established in 1919, John Vena Inc. (JVI) is a fourth-generation, family-owned and-operated produce importer, wholesaler, and distributor providing a full suite of supply chain services including repacking, ripening, and logistics. JVI handles a wide range of specialty and premium items for foodservice, retail, and processing, including fresh herbs, greenhouse vegetables, gourmet foods, tropical fruits, ethnic produce, wild edibles, microgreens, edible flowers, and baby vegetables.
