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GIFT PACrjVGSS OF FRUITS - /Idapted from an article "Fruit by Liail" - LODERN PACKAGING 



The gift fr\iit package is said to be a ten million dollar business of 

 Western shippers, v*ich means more than two million packages shipped by Express rr 

 "ilail every year. It is a market for top quality fresh fruit with highly developed 

 advertising and packaging techiiiques. 



The more recent development started with sample packages to ten of the 

 Country's leading business executives with a story as to their desirability as 

 gifts. This led directly to an order of USO gift boxes. Today attractive cata-^ 

 logues list apples, peaches, grapes, plums, nectarines, oranges, grapefruit, fruit 

 oakGs, jams, preserves, dried fruits, and glase fruits, nuts, and a variety of other 

 items. Three quarters of the paclcages are shipped in the holiday season. Railway 

 ExDress, and U, S. parcel post handle all but a very small portion of the total 

 business. 



Packaging requirements for mail order fruit gifts are highly specialized. 

 Basically the package must protect the fruit in transit against damage and pilferage, 

 This is important to the industry for all shippers guarantee safe arrival, knowing 

 that their future market depends upon customer satisfaction. The package must in 

 addition be easily opened. 



Development of visual appeal is the requirement on which most time and effort 

 lias been spent. The exterior experience should be attractive. But that is sub- 

 ordinate to Its appearance when opened. 



Since the fruit is a quality product, the packaging should also have the kind 

 of finished appearance which gives an immediate impression of quality. To fulfill 

 this primary requirement packaging must be fairly e:q3ensive. Various packers have 

 estimated that packaging materials account for ten to twenty per cent of the total 

 cost. 



The volume business comes on the one and two layer boxes of fruit, priced 

 between three and six dollars, post paid, Wocd excelsior pads, green shreaded wax 

 paper, fruit wraps are used to protect and fenhance the appearance of the fruit. 



Catalogues are used as the practical salesman, but their effectiveness is 

 overshadowed by the packages themselves. A high proportion of the people perhaps 

 one third, who receive gift packages order them themselves later, for their friends. 

 The orders seem to pyramid from satisfied customers. 



No-one knows the number of gift packages put up by the Massachusetts growers. 

 Although the number of grovrers who use this outlet, and the number of packages 

 they sell would probably be surprising. New England apples are sent into every 

 State that will accept apples. The December express bill of some individual 

 grovrers runs into several thousands of dollrs. 



There is no valid reason however, why one of the best apples in the world, 

 grown in an area that can grow it vrell, could not have a much bigger outlet in the 

 gift packages to the advantage of the growers, 

 OUR OVfN NEV([ ENGLAND AREA IjTOULD BE A GOOD PLACE TO START BUILDING SALES. 



— F. E. Cole 



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