Make your menu pop with COLORFUL, FRESH BERRIES.
California Giant Berry Farms delivers the best berry experience for the foodservice industry by providing an all-season supply of sustainably grown strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries that represent the highest standards for quality, consistency and smiles.
Invested in the industry. Tuned-in to trends. Committed to quality.
Alongside apples, blueberries and strawberries are perceived as one of the healthiest fruits; with approximately 4 in 5 patrons considering them extremely/very healthy.
Perceived Healthfulness of Fruits -% Extremely/Very Healthy% Extremely/Very Healthy
Source: USHBC Foodservice Patron Study July 2021
Along with avocados, strawberries and blueberries are perceived as both appealing and healthy, also holding advantage in healthfulness perceptions.
Fruit Appeal by Perceived Healthfulness
Source: USHBC Foodservice Patron Study July 2021
Blueberries are a fruit with a “health halo.” More than 2/3 of patrons cite the fruit’s nutrients and antioxidants as benefits provided by blueberries.
Benefits of Eating Blueberries
(Top answers shown)
Source: USHBC Foodservice Patron Study July 2021
Antioxidants and being generally healthy rise to the top of perceived benefits provided by blueberries. Other meaningful benefits include being a good source for vitamins and minerals and below low in calories.
Benefits of Eating Blueberries
Source: USHBC Foodservice Patron Study July 2021
Flavor, appearance and health benefits are the most top of mind associations with blueberries. A sizable number of respondents cite the dishes they expect to see blueberries included in – muffins, pie, breakfast sweets and smoothies.
Top of Mind Associations with Blueberries
(Top answers shown)
Source: USHBC Foodservice Patron Study July 2021
Americans are hungry for out-of-home dining experiences, but that doesn’t mean takeout is going anywhere soon. Streamlining pick-up and delivery options for on-the-go customers while creating a memorable dining experience for seated patrons looks to be the new norm. Consider strategies that will enhance both services – like reallocating staff to serve customers on the go and developing signage to help customers pick up orders seamlessly.
Read more about the new normal, here.
Source: Waze
Consumer Restaurant Preferences
- Over half of consumers (51%) say they go out to eat when they do not feel like cooking. Most of those eating out do so at least twice a month (60-70%).
- 82% of consumers say they are looking for restaurants that offer a wide variety of menu items when eating out.
- 82% of consumers say they are interested in trying new items when eating out.
- 81% of consumers say they often choose items that are on special when eating out.
- When dining in restaurants, a majority of consumers order seafood dishes (35%). When ordering carry-out, most stick to classics like pizza and breadsticks (69%).
New Dining Experiences
- 75% of shoppers say they have recently eaten carry-out, dined at a restaurant and/or eaten prepared foods from the grocery store. When ordering out, consumers are increasingly interested in experiential dining options.
- 28% of shoppers say they have recently ordered from a food truck.
- 23% of shoppers say they have recently ordered from a pop-up restaurant.
- 19% of shoppers say they have recently ordered from a ghost kitchen.
Source: Produce Blue Book, Foodservice study shows demand rises for drive though, carry out
7 Wins with Blueberries
“Our customers love blueberries and give us permission to try them in many innovations,” says Chad Thompson, Product Innovation, R&D, with Einstein Bagels, explaining why blueberries are a go-to when ideating new items. That love of blueberries is a national phenomenon, thanks to its natural sweet-tart flavor, plump juiciness and superfood status. Its year-round availability makes it all the more appealing to operators, along with its ability to elevate flavor, boost nutrition and add striking color.
Here are seven distinct ways to utilize blueberries in their various forms, leveraging their signature qualities for unexpected applications.
Restaurant takeout, without the waste!
A San Francisco based reverse logistics company is taking the trash out of take-out. Dispatch Goods partners with restaurants to provide reusable containers for take-out orders that are redistributed back to restaurant partners for reuse. The company handles collection, sanitization, and distribution of the containers, touting revenue growth for their partners as they handle all packaging logistics.
Basil Street plans to put up to 200 pizza robots in U.S. airports
Basil Street has a deal to put its automated pizza kiosks in U.S. airports, aiming to offer travelers around-the-clock access to pizza. The 22-square-foot “automated pizza kitchens” can cook the company’s frozen, 10-inch pies in about three minutes.
CULINARY CALENDAR
Unleash your culinary creativity with the versatility of fresh berries.
There are plenty of reasons to celebrate!
CHEF’S CORNER
Chef Sam Blackburn
Sodexo
2020 Chef Invitational Winner
During a recent farm tour sponsored by the Alliance for Food and Farming and California Giant Berry Farms, I was picking some of the last harvest of blueberries directly off the bush and eating them by the handful. With each bite that I took, my creative gears began to turn, and I was reminded of why blueberries are my absolute favorite, especially during the fall and winter months.
Their flavors can range from bright and tart to dark and mellow and provide endless opportunities for savory and sweet applications. Cold and flu season hits some harder than others, so it’s always a smart to incorporate a daily round of berries into your routine! Berries provide several health benefits, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, that can help give your immune system a much-needed boost during cold and flu season.
In this recipe, I took one of my favorite things to cook – fried rice – and incorporated a blend of vitamin-rich autumn vegetables and smoked sausage and topped it off with a spicy blueberry sweet and sour sauce. It takes about 30 – 35 minutes from start to finish and is easy to bust out on a busy weeknight! I hope that you’ll re-create this dish for a quick and easy dinner this fall or winter.
Chef Travis Peters
Chef/Owner, The Parish Gastropub
2019 Chef Invitational Winner
I took one of my favorite condiments – pickled onions – to the next level by incorporating California Giant blueberries. The color is incredible, the taste is outstanding, and the recipe is simple. These are fantastic on tacos, salads, barbeque ribs and chicken, grilled seafood, BLTs, and I recently discovered how delicious they are on baked brie. Their magical, tangy crunch combined with the sweetness of the berries is the perfect complement to any rich food. The bonus is you can recycle the vinegar to make more onions or make a delicious vinaigrette!
Chef Luis Reyes, CEC
Sysco
2018 Chef Invitational Winner
Incorporating berries into fall and winter recipes is a great way to elevate a dish and capture the interest of customers during the holidays. In this recipe, blueberries are used fresh in two forms – one with sous vide steak and roasted butternut squash, and second as a dressing. For the dressing, Italian dressing is pureed with a half pint of fresh California Giant Berry Farms blueberries. The Italian dressing changes dramatically, not only in color, but also in flavor as it takes on the sweetness of the blueberries, complementing the steak and roasted squash.
Berry Storage and Handling Best Practices
Unload all berries immediately into a cold room, roughly 32°F. Never allow a shipment to sit outside of a cold atmosphere.
Check for maturity, ripeness level, quantity, packaging, size, count, weight, and grade. Report any discrepancies immediately.
Store unwashed, in clamshells away from sources of moisture; moisture will cause rapid breakdown of the berry.
Don’t wash berries until ready to serve and use a gentle spray of cool water.
Don’t remove green caps from strawberries until after rinsing. This helps to retain flavor inside the berries.
PACK SIZES THAT FIT YOUR NEEDS
Strawberries
1 lb. • 2 lb. • 3 lb. • 4 lb.
Blueberries
6 oz. • Pint • 18 oz. • 24 oz. • 2 lb.
Raspberries
6 oz. • 12 oz.
Blackberries
6 oz. • 12 oz.
Sustainable packs available:
Ask your sales representative about our sustainable offerings
