LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving are right around the corner, and according to research from Frieda’s Specialty Produce, as consumers emerge from the pandemic, they are considering ways to put a new twist on their traditional recipes this holiday season, especially when it comes to dessert. To celebrate the start of the November holiday season and to help consumers supercharge their traditional menus and make them extraordinary, today Frieda’s announces its partnership with Lauren Ko, Instagram phenomenon, founder of @lokokitchen and New York Times Best-Selling Author of PIEOMETRY. For the first time ever, Ko is working with Frieda’s to help bakers of all abilities up-level their holiday celebrations with Stokes Purple sweet potatoes. Her newest work-of-art is called the Stokes Purple Wave Pie.
“The holidays are evolving, and Thanksgiving is especially meaningful this year. People want to create. They want to bake. They want to experience something extraordinary after being so cautious for so long. Thanksgiving should be vibrant, healthy, colorful and delicious,” said Cindy Sherman, director of marketing, innovation and insights for Frieda’s. “From our research, we know that people are looking for ways to dial up the mood, add color to their meals and up-level their traditional recipes this Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving. Thus, we are so thrilled to be partnering with Lauren Ko to celebrate this incredible, vibrant pie artistry.”
With food at the center of Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving celebrations, Frieda’s research revealed that more than 30% of consumers know it can bring a sense of comfort. Dessert is a major consideration and men, surprisingly, skewed higher in many areas of the research:
• More than 25% of consumers feel they need to get back the lost time with their family and friends. Surprisingly, this number skewed higher with men vs. women.
• More than 60% of consumers ages 25-34 agreed that they would consider making a beautiful dessert that adds color to their Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving tables.
• More than 50% of consumers would consider making beautiful desserts, especially those that are social-media worthy.
• More than 30% of consumers, especially those ages 18-44, would consider a twist on the traditional sweet potato pie and making it with Stokes Purple sweet potatoes, with men showing stronger numbers vs. women.
• More than 40% of consumers, especially those ages 18-44, would consider hand pies so that each person could have their own dessert, with men skewing higher than women in this category.
According to Sherman, dessert will be a major win with Ko’s Stokes Purple Wave Pie, which brings together a filling featuring the just-right purple sweet potatoes, condensed milk and coconut cream topped with a design of purple potato waves with orange accents (using traditional sweet potatoes).
“This partnership is a match made in produce heaven! With the art that I love to create, Frieda’s unique offerings of fruit and vegetables inspire me to bake and build designs differently—with colors, textures and flavors,” said Lauren Ko. “I’ve experimented with a variety of potatoes, making both sweet and savory recipes, and I wanted to create something extra special for this holiday season. When I landed on the Stokes Purple Wave Pie, I was really excited because every level of pie maker can use this recipe to create something extraordinary and artful. This extra touch of beauty feels especially needed after all we’ve been through with the pandemic.”
To bring even more inspiration and taste to the holidays, Frieda’s created two more trend-worthy recipes—Stokes Purple Sweet Potato Mini Crostatas and Stokes Purple Sweet Potato Hand Pies. These single-serve gems will give each consumer their own individual treat, which is a popular trend this holiday. These recipes build upon Frieda’s wildly popular original Stokes Purple Sweet Potato Pie with Maple Whipped Cream, a decadent dessert that was created in 2018 and continues to be one of the company’s most popular recipes.
This holiday season the company is offering inspiration through new recipes so that everyone, at every level of indulgence, can create truly extraordinary holiday meals, according to Sherman. Stokes Purple sweet potatoes are at the center of the holiday season because they are versatile and “just right”—not too sweet, too savory, too moist or too dry. Due to their deep purple color, they are full of anthocyanin antioxidants, just like blueberries, and are a good source of vitamin C and fiber, making them healthy, nutritious and delicious. Consumers can make healthy, colorful and delicious dishes that are both savory and sweet, from soups and fries to cakes and pies.
For these recipes and more that inspire.taste.love. visit Friedas.com. For media materials, visit and download Frieda’s media kit.
ABOUT FRIEDA’S
Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit and dragon fruit, to Stokes Purple sweet potatoes and habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by the late produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. inspire. taste. love.
