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Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. has announced a landmark strategic collaboration with Disney and Pixar to coincide with the theatrical release of Toy Story 5 on 19 June 2026. The worldwide campaign represents a significant effort to inject high-equity entertainment intellectual property (IP) directly into the fresh produce section, utilising characters like Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and Jessie to drive volume and encourage healthy dietary habits among families.

The initiative involves the deployment of more than 600 million co-branded banana stickers and pineapple hangtags across global retail networks, turning everyday fruits into interactive marketing touchpoints.

Packaging Campaign

Fresh produce has traditionally been a low-margin, commodity-driven category where brand differentiation is difficult to maintain. By partnering with a major global entertainment franchise, Fresh Del Monte is transforming its core products into high-impulse purchases.

The campaign features custom-designed, co-branded packaging across three of the brand's primary product lines:

• Del Monte Bananas: Featuring character-themed stickers designed to capture the attention of younger shoppers.

• Del Monte Gold Pineapples: Utilising custom hangtags that serve as a canvas for both character art and digital activation keys.

• Honeyglow Pineapples: Bringing premium, sustainably grown pineapples into the promotional loop to target the premium-value grocery segment.

The specialised packaging is available across all participating international regions, with in-store and online distribution scheduled to run through 31 July 2026.

Marketing Mechanics and Engagement

To support the physical rollout, Fresh Del Monte is implementing a comprehensive digital and experiential marketing campaign. Rather than relying solely on passive in-store displays, the strategy focuses on driving consumers from the physical produce aisle to the brand's digital ecosystem.

A central component of this engagement is the Barcelona Sweepstakes. By scanning the QR codes featured on the co-branded stickers and hangtags, or by visiting a dedicated campaign portal, consumers can enter to win a five-night family trip to Barcelona, Spain. The curated prize package includes:

• Educational Visits: Tickets to Barcelona's famous Science Museum.

• Cultural Excursions: Guided horseback tours in Montserrat and visits to local colourful parks and gardens.

• Experiential Treats: Interactive local culinary experiences, including artisanal gelato tastings.

This digital entry point is supplemented by a robust social media campaign on Instagram, featuring custom recipes, interactive games, and regular giveaways of official movie merchandise and theatrical tickets, maintaining high digital engagement throughout the peak summer trading window.

Fresh Produce & Entertainment

For fresh produce marketers, the primary operational challenge is finding ways to make healthy snacking appealing to children who are continuously exposed to highly processed, sugar-laden snack alternatives. By partnering with an entertainment powerhouse, Fresh Del Monte is successfully leveraging character affinity to build positive associations with whole foods.

This strategic alignment is essential for modern retailers. By placing high-affinity characters in the fresh produce section, stores can capture the "pester power" of children and convert it into healthy shopping decisions, driving higher basket value for the perimeter of the store.