Chiquita Celebrates 25th Consecutive Progressive Grocer Category Captain Award Win

Chiquita continues as the banana category leader for a quarter-century

Fort Lauderdale, FL – December 17, 2024 – For a remarkable 25th year in a row, Progressive Grocer has honored Chiquita as a Category Captain, celebrating the brand’s continued leadership in category innovation, sustainability, and shopper engagement. This award underscores Chiquita's unwavering dedication to driving category growth and delivering superior-quality bananas to consumers worldwide.

"Each year, our editorial team is proud to honor Chiquita as a Category Captain due to the brand’s commitment to innovative category management efforts like the EZ Vent Box and its sustainable products and practices from this past year including the Yelloway One," said Gina Acosta, Editorial Director and Associate Publisher of Progressive Grocer.

"It’s an incredible honor to receive this prestigious award year after year," said Juliana Furlan, Director of Marketing for Chiquita North America. "This milestone reflects our commitment to sustainability, innovation, and supporting our retailers in enhancing shopper experiences, and we’re proud to continue delivering on that excellence."

The Progressive Grocer editorial team recognized Chiquita for its groundbreaking efforts in 2023-2024, which focused on innovative solutions, sustainability advancements, and meaningful consumer campaigns:

Innovation: EZ Vent Box

Chiquita’s EZ Vent Box redefined banana management for retailers, offering enhanced airflow for consistent ripening, reduced bruising, and significant labor savings. This packaging innovation streamlined in-store operations, reducing handling time from up to 40 minutes to just a few minutes, minimizing shrink and improving customer satisfaction.

Sustainability: Yelloway One

Chiquita's Yelloway initiative achieved a historic milestone with the introduction of Yelloway One, the first non-GMO, disease-resistant banana variety. Developed in collaboration with KeyGene, MusaRadix, and Wageningen University and Research, YW01 addresses threats like Tropical Race 4 and Black Leaf Streak Disease. The initiative has already produced over 32,000 seeds and 150 successful crosses, laying the foundation for a sustainable banana industry.

Consumer Engagement: Creative Campaigns

Chiquita's dynamic brand campaigns in 2023-2024 included:

• "Pop by Nature": A collaboration with artist Romero Britto celebrating art and nature.
• "Small Change, Big Difference": Raising breast cancer awareness with pink stickers in collaboration with the American Cancer Society.
• Seasonal Campaigns: Engaging families with back-to-school and holiday-themed contests, reinforcing Chiquita as a healthy, fun snack option.

"Our dedication to innovation and customer engagement is at the heart of everything we do," said Jamie Postell, Sales Director for Chiquita North America. "Whether through groundbreaking solutions like the EZ Vent Box or collaborations that enhance the retail experience, we remain committed to delivering the highest quality to consumers while supporting our retailers in driving category growth."

With expanded secondary displays in nearly 2,000 stores and impactful shopper marketing programs, Chiquita continues to inspire impulse purchases and cross-category attention.

For more information, please visit www.chiquitabrands.com.

About Chiquita Brands International

Chiquita is a leading global produce company that is committed to providing both consumers and customers across nearly 70 countries with the highest quality of fruit and service, making Chiquita the banana of choice. For more than 150 years, Chiquita has been proudly producing great-tasting, superior-quality bananas. The brand creates a positive impact by implementing the principles of sustainability throughout all of its business practices under the “Behind the Blue Sticker” initiative. Chiquita’s iconic Blue Sticker has been the seal of approval for high-quality fruit, and a celebration of fun, but it also represents an unwavering commitment to sustainable farming, biodiversity and giving back to the communities in which the banana plantations operate. Great-tasting and convenient Chiquita bananas are fat-free, and provide a source of potassium, fiber and vitamin B6. To learn more, visit www.chiquita.com.

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