The Edible Arrangements store is a bit of a “re-opening.” The franchise was sold a couple of years ago and the current owners picked it up after having successful stores in other places.
We’ve had to arrangements delivered to Community Business College and by far the most popular item was the chocolate dipped pineapple followed by the chocolate dipped strawberries. The grapes on a stick went well too. The honeydew melon and the cantaloupe add nice color to the arrangement but were by far not as popular as the other pieces for snacking in the office. It certainly brings out the chocolate lovers from staff and students.
At these events you can always learn something new about the business or the industry. Tim, the manager at Modesto’s Edible Arrangements says they always tries to buy its fresh fruit locally for as long as they can. Then, as the cooler months arrive in the Central Valley, they switch to Arizona and Texas. After those states complete their harvest, they import their fruit from Peru. The arrangements are popular for dieters (at least some of what you're eating is healthy fruit) and people trying to send someone something different, other than flowers.
Of course, one of the best parts about the grand opening was, in addition to meeting a whole bunch of friendly people, the free samples. There is nothing like a chocolate-dipped strawberry to make your day a little better.
If you’d like to see pictures of the ribbing cutting ceremony, they will posted in next month’s Modesto Chamber of Commerce Progress magazine, the online version of which can be viewed here.