Winter Sweetz Is Going Global

Trent Bishop, Vice President of Sales at Lone Star Citrus Growers, recently took a sweet trip to South Korea to help spread the word about the undeniably savory Texas red grapefruits known as Winter Sweetz.

Trent spent nearly a week in the East Asian nation meeting with the country’s top three grapefruit importers. His journey took him to the country’s capital – Seoul – as well as to the bustling port city of Busan. This momentous occasion is worth celebrating for the simple fact that that this will be the first time the Texas grapefruit grower will export their product to South Korea!

You read that right. The citizens of South Korea will finally have the opportunity to reward their taste buds with the delectable deliciousness of a Texas red grapefruit.

It looks like the wonderful people of South Korea will soon enjoy the sweetest grapefruits this side of the world because of a joint venture between the good folks at Lone Star Citrus in conjunction with the Texas Department of Agriculture and other organizations.

The trip was invigorating for Trent and his team, who were welcomed with open arms, and who found, according to Trent, that there was “absolutely a demand and consumer base in South Korea ready for Texas grapefruit.”

Indeed, Trent was amazed by the cultural and dietary importance of fresh fruit in the nation. He found that fruit was eaten at every single meal, often times as a dessert, and that seasonal fruit was frequently given away as gifts in very elaborate packaging.

These are a people who truly take their grapefruit serious.

During the trip, Trent and other Lone Star Citrus reps were able to tour multiple state-of-the-art facilities, warehouses, cold storage units, ports, as well as meet with officials from Sunkist Growers and the Agricultural Trade Association of the USDA.

Understandably, this trip represented so much more than just an opportunity for growth. It was the perfect example of how far – figuratively and literally – Lone Star Citrus is willing to go to ensure that people in every corner of the world are able to enjoy the heavenly treats that are Winter Sweetz grapefruits.

The trip also helped Trent better understand the needs and characteristics of foreign markets, inspiring him to develop new ideas and methods that would better serve domestic growth as well.

Trent, just like everyone else at Lone Star Citrus and Winter Sweetz, is eager to continue pushing the envelope in delivering only the finest produce and ensuring all national stores are readily stocked during the Winter Sweetz season, which runs from late fall until early spring.

When asked about the future of Winter Sweetz, Trent had this to say, “I just want everyone to know that we are always going to be incredibly proactive in introducing Texas red grapefruits to new stores and markets. We also want to help educate our consumers and customers in ways that grow the category as much as possible.”

And by the looks of things, Winter Sweetz should definitely be coming to a store near you.

Today, South Korea. Tomorrow, the world!

For any retailer interested in learning more about Winter Sweetz and securing product, please feel free to contact the Winter Sweetz office at (956) 424-7775 or at info@wintersweetz.com.

You can also download our Retailer Demo Kit for free, which comes with:

• An overview of the Texas Grapefruit growing region
• Three-step instructions for segmenting a grapefruit
• Nutritional benefits of grapefruit
• Easy ideas for product sampling
• Key brand messaging to help your demo team speak about Winter Sweetz™ grapefruit