This audio is generated automatically. Please let me know if you have any comments.
Del Monte Foods, a 138-year-old fruit and vegetable giant, has thrived for decades through its signature cans and fruit cups.
But as Gen Z and Millennials become more influential and spend more money on food trends, the company’s future is converging around innovation for younger generations. Just this month, the company launched its newest products: bold and spicy Mexican-style street corn and Southern-style green beans.
“We have a key focus in our crosshairs to target Gen Z and millennials,” Bibie Wu, Del Monte Foods’ chief communications and technology development officer, said in an interview. “One of the really important things about keeping the category vibrant is communicating well with the needs, wants and tastes of the younger generation.”
About six years ago, the company “entered the innovation accelerator.” This included introducing novel products to grow the packaged produce category by adding more modern flavors, packaging more conveniently and leveraging the history of fruits and vegetables, Wu said.
New innovative products launched in the last three to five years account for about 10% of Del Monte’s current annual sales, she said. This is an increase from less than single digits a decade ago. Del Monte aims to maintain the proportion of new product sales at ‘double digits.’
To be sure, Del Monte maintains a close relationship with the classic canned fruits and vegetables that make up the majority of its sales and continues to maintain a strong following among Gen Xers and baby boomers for its value and convenience.
optional captions
Provided by Del Monte
But these same agricultural products are the basis for innovation as the company incorporates spicier, bolder and regional flavors while also combining other flavors such as sweet and spicy to create products for younger people.
“They will be the powerful furniture of tomorrow. Right? So we want to continue to communicate with them.” Wu said.
To achieve this, Del Monte works closely with chefs, scours restaurant menus and scours social media to see what trends and flavors are being discussed.
The newly launched Mexican Style Street Corn, for example, came about after the dish hit restaurant menus and was a frequent topic of discussion on X and TikTok, where people shared ideas on how to cook it.
One of its most successful launches came in 2021 when Del Monte launched a line of boba shop-inspired beverages called Joyba Bubble Tea.
The push comes after the company noticed a growing interest in teahouse drinks among Gen Z and other young consumers. At the same time, Del Monte had not seen bubble tea widely sold in stores, so it was able to enter the category and leverage its previous experience with fruit cups.
“Traditionally, (fruits and vegetables) have not been at the forefront of innovation,” Wu said. “We are changing that.”
