It’s All About Creative Agri-Branding
It’s been nearly a century since R. Stanton Avery invented the modern sticker in 1935 and changed the world. Today, stickers are so common that we hardly notice them—on everything from political protests to pop culture, and of course, price tags and agricultural produce.
But despite their prevalence, stickers have immense power to strengthen brands escpecially Agricultural ones. Though small in size, they can become a powerful marketing tool. How? Creativity is the key.
We’ve gathered for you five “bites” about special agricultural produce stickers that have turned creativity into a growth engine.
A Banana Company That Turned Stickers into Cult
Chiquita, the largest banana marketing company in the U.S., has been importing and selling bananas for over 150 years.
Starting in 1947, they began placing stickers on their bananas, and by 1963, they transitioned to a new blue sticker that has since become a cultural icon. Each sticker features the logo and a female figure—a Caribbean woman with a fruit hat—who has become a symbol in her own right. The character was created by Dick Brown in 1944. Initially, she was depicted as a banana with a skirt, but in 1987, the banana evolved into the woman we know today.
Chiquita understood the power of breaking the routine of the familiar and constant sticker. Consumers who were accustomed to seeing the same old sticker on their bananas suddenly discover it in a different color or with a small twist. For example, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the woman on the logo changes her pose, holding her chest.
Collaborations with Disney, sticker design contests for the public, and homages to famous artists have all helped Chiquita’s stickers become a cultural icon and a cult phenomenon. There are groups of collectors who gather Chiquita stickers, people creating TikTok videos about them, and even a gallery on the company’s website showcasing the history of their creative stickers and the full story of the brand.
Bonus Conetent: Another banana brand that took banana branding a step further is the Yellow Smile brand, by the Israeli Granot Farmers Group. With the help of the agricultural branding agency Ahoy!, they created a unique comic-based language that allowed their bananas to stand out in wholesale markets and on shelves.
Award-Winning Sticker
A creative sticker isn’t just a tool for building a brand; it also provides real value to the consumer. The Colombian supermarket chain MAKRO came up with a genius idea: a sticker that shows the ripeness stage of the fruit or vegetable based on the color of the peel and indicates the best use—whether for cooking or immediate consumption. This way, the sticker not only highlights the product but also helps reduce waste and increase sales.
They created stickers for avocados, papayas, bananas, mangoes, and tomatoes, and distributed the labeled produce in 22 stores nationwide. The results were impressive: the shelf life of the produce extended by four days, around 70 tons less produce was discarded during that week, and there was an increase in fruit and vegetable sales. All thanks to one small sticker that aimed to help, not just promote.
The sticker gained global recognition and even won a prestigious Cannes award in 2023—an impressive achievement in its own right.
MMMMmmmmmm…..Stickers…. YUMMY!
Yes, you read that right. In recent years, stickers for fruits and vegetables have been developed that you can chew and swallow. The idea was born out of a desire to encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetables. Imagine an edible Mickey Mouse sticker with a cinnamon flavor on an apple, or a vanilla-flavored one on a strawberry.
Beyond the cool factor, it’s also an eco-friendly solution that saves the world paper and glue.
Laser Marking on Produce
This isn’t exactly a sticker, but it’s the evolution of one. Today, several major reataliers such as Carrefour, ICA, Edeka, Rewe, Delhaize, Lidl, Aldi and Jumbo use natural branding on their produce with logos and messages using lasers. Beyond being an ecological and sustainable solution, it’s a display of innovation.
The advantage of laser marking is that it allows for any shape, in any size, with high precision. The downside is the lack of color and the fact that it slightly damages the peel, which might not be appealing to all consumers.
Soap Sticker
This sticker is still in the realm of fantasy, but the patent is registered, and it’s a brilliant idea: a fruit or vegetable sticker that releases soap when in contact with water, allowing you to wash and clean your apple with soap, wherever you are, making it cleaner from fertilizers and the touch of other hands.
A Small Sticker with Big Potential
In the end, the power of creativity and consistency can’t be underestimated. When you’re bold enough to stand out and unique enough to capture attention, even something as small as a sticker can leave a lasting impact. With time, that little creative effort can evolve into something bigger—a movement, a following, or even a cult. So, don’t be afraid to push the boundaries—because when you do, your brand just might become iconic.
