After a unanimous vote by the full boards and joint committees on February 6, the new “Summer C” program of the California Tree Fruit Agreement (CTFA) is now underway for the 2008 season. Proposed by the Domestic Market Development Subcommittee the Summer C is an integrated program capitalizing on peaches, plums and nectarines’ good source of vitamin C.

“We have always known our fruits are healthy and a good source of vitamin C,” said Sheri Mierau, CTFA President “the Summer C provides a consumer friendly message to associate fresh California peaches, plums and nectarines as the source for vitamin C in the summer.”

By USDA standards, peaches and nectarines are both considered good sources of vitamin C and plums are an excellent source. To capitalize on the nutrition benefits and catchy message, the Summer C will be a multi-faceted program that includes a digital media campaign, an expansive public relations campaign and Point of Sale (POS) material available to industry and retailers.

“Vitamin C is an essential nutrient consumers are aware of, but typically associate with citrus, which is predominately a winter fruit” said Domestic Market Manager, Joanna Frith “We want consumers to think of California peaches, plums and nectarines as their fresh source for vitamin C all summer long.”

The digital media campaign will include a series of banner advertisements and affiliated newsletters on leading websites such as, allrecipes.com, foodnetwork.com, family.com, and other select sites targeting moms, kids, and nutrition. The Summer C message will also be incorporated into the new PPN TV, which will be launched this season. PPN TV is a series of 1.5-2 minute webisodes that will take the consumer into the orchards, into the grocery store and into the kitchen to get the full experience of fresh California peaches, plums and nectarines.

The expansive public relations campaign surrounding the Summer C will reach consumers through a national print, broadcast and digital campaign. Kids outreach will also be included in the campaign through a partnership with an educational resource company such as Scholastic to develop a fun, colorful and educational classroom poster to be distributed in April/May to teachers nationwide.

The Summer C POS material will be available to industry and retailers, free of charge with orders placed before April 25 and as always will be available on the Download Center at eatcaliforniafruit.com. POS messages like “Summer C Fresh from the Tree!” and “Summer C for a Healthy Me” with highly stylized photography will be available in a variety of formats.

Originally established in 1933 and headquartered in Reedley, California, the California Tree Fruit Agreement is funded by and administers marketing order programs on behalf of California's more than 1,100 fresh peach, plum and nectarine growers.