[MONDAY MINUTE] Why Hedge Funds (Ray Dalio) Are Investing in the Produce Grocery Aisle

Can the produce aisle reinvent itself, enhance its appeal, and broaden its consumer reach? If you haven’t noticed yet, the dairy and egg merchandising sets have already started extending a product’s basic utility to its story, its presentation, and its ability to resonate on a personal level…and it appears the produce set could be next. As an example, after hedge fund manager Ray Dalio’s personal venture arm got involved with the berry brand Agrovision…it changed the name to Fruitist, started focusing more on jumbo blueberries, and invested heavily in the infrastructure needed to eliminate “berry roulette.” Additionally, the 120+ year-old berry brand Driscoll’s just hired its first Global Chief Marketing Officer to close the gap between market share dominance and low brand awareness. With many of the health properties found in berries aligned with some of the trendiest wellness focuses, it appears produce brands are more motivated than ever to create an elevated unique experience that forms a deeper, more personal connection with consumers.