It’s here, friends. Celebrating one of my favorite deli items, thus making it one of my favorite days of the year, this treasured holiday has returned for another round; National Olive Day. After a successful inaugural year, the official holiday is back and making more waves in the buyside sphere, nationwide.
As Brandon Gross, Vice President of Marketing at FOODMatch, recently shared with me, consumers have readily embraced the company’s nationally recognized holiday, with even bigger support this year. And at the head of the curve? FOODMatch’s brand of specialty offerings, Divina.
“We’ve seen a tremendous response and outreach from our partners at both the distributor and retailer level,” Brandon tells me. “Everyone is looking for different ways to participate with us, whether it be in-store or online.”
FOODMatch first embarked on this mission over a year ago to bring excitement to a product that’s literally thousands of years old, in a fun and engaging way. What they found was a passionate bunch of olive lovers ready to celebrate the category, along with new products being brought to the American market.
As Brandon reminds us, “Mediterranean food, but specifically olives and antipasti, are foods that bring people together around the shared table with minimal effort. National Olive Day is a way to bring people back to the simple, enjoyable basics of putting down a plate of healthy snacks, pouring a glass of wine, and spending quality time with friends and family.”
“Initially, we had some work to do in terms of getting the word out via social media and in-store with our retail partners. When all was said and done, the specialty community really embraced the holiday and we received thousands of social media impressions across multiple channels,” Brandon says.
This year, FOODMatch has been able to really expand on its reach with National Olive Day. The company has partnered with Sartori Cheese to execute a demo program for some of its shared regional retail partners and is planning close to 100 different in-store activations taking place between June 1 (National Olive Day) and June 4 (National Cheese Day).
Online retailers are also getting into the Olive Day action. Thrive Market recently launched a new recipe video campaign featuring grown-up versions of savory pop-tarts using Divina Green Olive Spread and our sources tell us to expect an Olive Day promotion on Divina olives and spread in celebration of the holiday.
Brandon says with all the success that FOODMatch has seen with National Olive Day, the true gratitude for the successful event is owed to the company’s partners across the Mediterranean–who have spent a lifetime perfecting the art of growing, harvesting, and curing olives, working tirelessly to cultivate the authentic flavors consumer’s love.
So, happy Olive Day from all of us at Deli Market News! And expect even more exposure in 2018.