• by Sarah Mahoney , 2 hours ago

Dole is trying to put fruit at the center of the new health economy, where snacking, mini meals and “better-for-you” beverages are reshaping how people eat. Its new “Fruit FWD” trend report tracks shifts in everything from dirty sodas to #girldinner, as the 123-year-old brand looks for ways to stay relevant in a wellness-obsessed market.

People are no longer choosing between taste and health, says Mike Secor, Dole’s vice president of marketing. And they’re not just eating fruit because they’re supposed to. The company’s research finds that 52% of global consumers now say they choose fruit for its “nutritional benefits,” and 49% say it “supports overall wellbeing,” not just dieting or guilt-reduction.

While the brand has been around since 1901, he says fruit’s changing role is sparking a different way to think about marketing and the category’s cultural relevance. The internal mantra continues to be “Sunshine for all,” but it is looking for new ways to build the brand’s appeal. “Fruit is having a bit of a moment. People are economically challenged and looking for little respites and ways to escape. We provide that.”

The report points to several overlapping trends. “Mini meals” and snacks are replacing traditional three-meal structures for time-pressed consumers, with 54% saying they eat snacks instead of meals when they’re busy, and 75% consider snacks “a critical part of their day” for a moment of joy.

Fruit fits neatly into that shift.

“Fruit is not typically a center of the plate item,” Secor says. “But we can be. One of our big jobs is just figuring out how to fit into people’s lives in the best way that we can.”

Beverages are another growth lane. The report highlights the boom in “drinkable fruit” as produce rides the non-alcoholic, tropical-flavor craze, especially among younger people. And while older consumers typically discovered juices through mixed cocktails – think margaritas, tequila sunrises and pina coladas – Gen Z is looking for fun with no kick. Agua frescas, mocktails and refreshers, many with tropical flavors like guava, lychee and passionfruit, dominate social media. TikTok views for agua fresca content, for example, passed 1.4 billion in 2025.

He tells Marketing Daily that even some of the weirder trends, such as pineapple coffee, are gaining traction.

Demographics play a huge role, making guava the No. 1-trending fruit in restaurants last year.

Health is another tailwind. Between GLP-1 buzz and rising discomfort with ultra-processed foods, more people are looking for “natural” options.

For Dole, the trend work is ultimately about brand, not just category, proving that “we can provide little moments of joy, little rays of tropical sunshine.” The company is looking not just for new products, but better content, including recipes and how-to guides. And, as with all food trends, Secor says, “it’s always this incredible mix of functional and irrational, emotional elements. We need food to survive, but it's also part of memories, situations and occasions. It’s part of the fabric of being a human.”