Now that summer is here, it’s a great time for snack-loving consumers to pick up a few bags of Prime Planet’s unique and delicious Tostones – the all natural plantain snack that’s proving to be the perfect accompaniment for any get-together or go-to event.
So, whether your retail shoppers are planning a quiet couple’s picnic in the park, a rowdy family reunion, or even a spectacular July Fourth party for the entire neighborhood, Prime Planet has some great ideas for making every occasion even tastier.
“What’s really snazzy is that now a favorite snack can become something even more – part of a “better for you” dish to dazzle a spouse, family, friends, or neighbors” says Marie Gonzalez, Business Development Manager for Miami-based Prime Planet, purveyors of all-natural green plantain chips, or Tostones.
With its growing line of natural snacks, Prime Planet is determined to build the best possible relationships with its food distributors and retail market customers. One way they are doing that is by engaging in what’s called “recipe marketing.”
According to Gonzalez, a whopping 500 million people search for recipes on Google every month. Recipe marketing allows food businesses to convert that search traffic into product sales by placing branded ingredients into recipes. “Recipe marketing is an excellent way for a food brand to increase its brand awareness and boost sales.”
Gonzalez says that by sharing recipe content on a regular basis, end consumers learn great ways to integrate Prime Planets snacks into their everyday meals, they gain a better understanding of the product’s health benefits, and, she says, “we even help you become a more popular party host!”
“Fun and easy recipes can definitely help build community, ” she added.
Adding Dazzle & Spice
Simply put, customers absolutely love companies that add dazzle and spice to the customer experience. That’s why we suggest they use tasty Tostones in a fun way to enhance a multitude of dishes. To assist, Prime Planet has put together lots of colorful and inviting recipe tips to use in customer communications.
It’s also a fact that today’s consumers are eating healthier foods, looking toward a sustainable diet, and also trying new, more varied natural snacks. A recent survey from ReportLinker found over half of respondents cook at home anywhere from three to six days a week. People cited the ability to control what they eat and health concerns as being among the top reasons. About 17 percent of home cooks were likely to find inspiration or recipes to try online. Among millenials, the number jumps to 32 percent.
Market Growth is Good
“So, as Prime Planet moves further into the mainstream American snack market, it’s happily aligning with a growing number of national distributors and retail food chains looking to meet this demand for healthier snack options – and recipe marketing is not only an irresistible way to raise awareness of our product,” Gonzalez stresses, “but its smart, too.”
In fact, as one of Prime Planet’s earliest retail distributors, Publix supermarkets now features the highly popular chip brand in more than 900 grocery store locations across Florida and five other states in the southeastern U.S.
“Additionally, we’ve been growing distribution and marketing of our product via Central Market in Texas, Safeway stores in Northern California, Burlington Stores in the Northeast U.S., and multiple other independent grocers,” says Gonzalez.
Did you know that Prime Planet also has become the preferred Tostones snack brand in Puerto Rico and The Bahamas? It’s true. In addition, during 2020 and 2021, Prime Planet’s focus also included expanding its presence in e-commerce market through alliances with Amazon, Kroger Marketplace, Walmart Marketplace, and other online services.”
Two Emerging Trends
Whatever the store or grocery outlet, though, Prime Planet is seeing two emerging trends: First, shoppers are seriously rethinking how they buy their food, and they absolutely want to know how a product was made or harvested. They want transparency about that.
“Fortunately, all Tostones are natural, made from fresh green plantains sourced from Ecuador, hand-crafted, and packaged there on the spot following strict production protocols,” Gonzalez stresses.
Second, consumers desire more plant-based options, they want “better for you” alternatives to traditional snacks like corn and potato chips. That’s precisely what Tostones are. Yet healthier can still be very tasty. Prime Planet flavors range from Lime and Sweet Chile to Habanero and the Original variety.
On the Horizon
As we move closer to the halfway point in 2021, rest assured that Prime Planet is also striving to develop other new, natural snack products and flavors. We know it’s important to stay ahead of consumer demand in the ever-changing and highly complex U.S. snack food market.
For now, though, just grab a bag of our Original Tostones and serve the natural plantain chips as “nachos,” accompanied by a tray of guacamole, black beans, cheddar cheese, and a generous scattering of white cheese. Just add shredded chicken or beef for a complete meal.
There, did we just whet your appetite, too?