Welch's Fruit Snacks is doubling down on its commitment to whole fruit with a collaboration and new hire. The brand announced the appointment of renowned chef and culinary icon, Gordon Ramsay, as Welch's Fruit Snacks first-ever CFO, or chief fruit officer.
Welch's Fruit Snacks has a 24-year long history of making premium fruit snacks which lead to its #1 selling market position: made using whole fruit, meaning every edible part of the fruit—peel, skin, and pulp—as the main or primary ingredient. The brand's commitment to using quality fruit ingredients is also what drew Gordon Ramsay, and his uncompromising standards of quality, to the brand.
Ramsay’s new position will play a key role in spearheading Welch’s Fruit Snacks Whole Fruit initiative, educating consumers about the important distinction between true fruit snacks and fruit-flavored snacks. Pointing out how true fruit snacks are made with whole fruit, where fruit-flavored snacks use minimal fruit-related ingredients such as juice and concentrate to parade around as “fruit snacks.”
"My goal as Welch’s Fruit Snacks’ chief fruit officer is to help raise awareness about the distinction between authentic fruit snacks and mere imitations of fruit flavor. With more awareness, consumers will have the ability to make more informed choices," says Gordon Ramsay. “A father of six, I have been a long-time consumer of the brand, and on any given day, you’d find Welch's Fruit Snacks in my pantry at home, so this new role is truly authentic and personal for me.”
The announcement of Gordon Ramsay as chief fruit officer comes with the launch of Welch's Fruit Snacks' largest campaign in brand history, named "Wholly Fruit," which includes the brand's first-ever television commercial, starring Ramsay, rolling out nationwide this summer. Emphasizing the brand’s commitment to high quality standards, PIM Brands, Inc.'s CEO Michael Rosenberg makes a voice cameo in the commercial to announce the new CFO hire. This cameo not only introduces Ramsay as chief fruit officer, but also conveys how important real, whole fruit is to the brand ethos. The national campaign will appear across broadcast, digital, and social channels.
“Gordon Ramsay’s culinary expertise, creativity, and dedication to quality aligns perfectly with our commitment to delivering exceptional products with premium ingredients,” says Michael Rosenberg, CEO of PIM Brands Inc., maker of Welch's Fruit Snacks. "We take fruit snacks seriously, and that means using whole fruit to make them. Our partnership with Gordon Ramsay and the launch of our 'Wholly Fruit' campaign exemplify our steadfast commitment to whole fruit and our mission to offer families and individuals of all ages a delicious snacking option."
Last month, Welch’s Fruit Snacks began to tease this new campaign with out of home billboards and postings featuring new creative staring the Welch’s Fruit Snacks pieces alongside an unexpected element: fruit stickers. The fruit stickers, similar to those found on real, whole fruit in the grocery store, served as a vehicle to amplify the brand’s “Made with Whole Fruit Message.” Consumers in New York City also enjoyed an experiential component with Welch’s Fruit Snacks vintage “Fruit Truck” popping up in the SoHo neighborhood, offering free Welch’s Fruit Snacks to the public, along with other swag.
