Ruby Fresh makes pomegranate arils more accessible

Pomegranates have seen resurgence in popularity in recent years, pushed at least in part by the health benefits of fresh pomegranates and arils.

California-based Ruby Fresh is helping meet the growing demand. While the company has been marketing pomegranates about three years, they have seen sales rise dramatically east of the Mississippi River – quite a feat, considering they have previously only penetrated West Coast markets.

“It is getting bigger, and we’ve really seen sales increase in the Midwest and East Coast,” said John Early, Ruby Fresh sales representative. “We feel there are a lot of areas left untouched and a lot of room for growth.”

Ruby Fresh grew out of a partner’s grove four years ago near Firebaugh, in the San Joaquin Valley, the heart of U.S. pomegranate production. The company solely markets pomegranates, both fresh fruit and arils, packing fruit from its own groves while also sourcing product from neighboring groves and as far away as South America. That fruit is marketed to retail and foodservice vendors, to whom Ruby Fresh offers a variety of pomegranate offerings, including arils in 4-ounce and 5-ounce packages and an 8-ounce size for foodservice and retail.

Ruby Fresh is also on the verge of releasing new frozen arils to meet consumer demand and allow the arils to be shipped longer distances.

“By freezing arils, we extend the geographic reach for shipping the product, so it opens up Europe and the Pacific Rim, and it extends the shelf life, because the product is frozen,” said David Anthony, domestic and Canadian sales representative. “Also, frozen product is very favorable for restaurant and institutional users who want to control portions and spoilage, which is possible with frozen, but difficult with fresh perishable arils.”

There is no shortage of competitors vying for the same retail and foodservice vendors in California, so Ruby Fresh had to find ways to differentiate themselves. They put their first focus on the growers, fostering good relationships with surrounding groves for a steady supply of quality fruit. Because they process both fresh pomegranates and arils, they offered the growers more flexibility in marketing the fruit.

The location of the processing facility near the grove also ensured freshness of the fruit by allowing them to process it more quickly and reduce handling.

Ruby Fresh also serves its retail and foodservice customers with a year-round supply.

“Some of the other companies that offer pomegranate arils only offer them seasonally, and some foodservice vendors want to have them year round because it’s hard to introduce new items on the menu if you only have them seasonally,” Anthony said.

The California harvest lasts from August through November, allowing the company to store and process pomegranates throughout the winter. Chilean and Argentinean pomegranates begin arriving in March, and the imported fruit is stored and processed throughout the summer until the California harvest begins a new season.

The company also is trying to promote the health benefits of pomegranates to consumers via retail and wholesale outlets. One way they are doing that is through in-store demonstrations, allowing store clerks to offer samples, especially arils, to the public on behalf of Ruby Fresh.

“If you ask consumers what an aril is, they probably don’t know, so we’re doing in-store demonstrations to try to educate the public,” Early said.

The company is also looking at a full array of products to meet world pomegranate demand, including juice, jelly, jams and supplements.

“We continue to expand our plantings in both the U.S.A. and abroad. Our goal is to become the category leader in both fresh product, processed arils and frozen arils in the near future,” Anthony said.

 



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