California Prune Board debuts award-winning VR experience at Anuga 2025

September 30, 2025 by Innovations Admin

The California Prune Board (CPB) will unveil its multi-award-winning virtual reality (VR) project at Anuga 2025, as the Board steps up its trade and consumer-focused activities.

The show, which takes place from 4^th to 8^th October in Cologne, marks the beginning of a pivotal year for CPB, with a host of integrated promotional campaigns planned for key export markets including Japan, South Korea, Canada, and Italy. It is also the first in a series of high-profile trade shows over the next 12 months, with the Board highlighting its premium California Prunes at Gulfood, the Food & Hotel Show in Vietnam, and FOODEX in Japan.

As part of its Anuga showcase in the USA Pavilion, the CPB will use next-generation technology and state-of-the-art headsets to bring to life the story behind its world-renowned California Prunes. The VR project takes viewers on a journey straight to the heart of the orchards for a 360-degree experience, which spotlights the industry’s leading harvesting and processing practices and the nutritional and versatile benefits of California Prunes.

As the first of its kind in the food category, the project was successfully piloted with Italian trade and media audiences last year and has since won several awards. Esther Ritson-Elliott, CPB’s Director of International Marketing and Communications, explains the rationale behind the project: “As premium category leaders, California Prunes are exported to more than 60 countries around the world. As a Board, we have successfully spent over 30 years conducting promotional activities in key markets to drive brand awareness and encourage purchase intent of our nutritious, versatile, and high-quality prunes.

“Our VR experience is the next step in strengthening trade relationships and showcasing our industry at its best by bringing the story behind our high-quality California Prunes directly to our customers, in their own language.

“It is a fun, interactive, and educational experience, which we are looking forward to sharing with audiences at Anuga and beyond, as we seek to educate the trade and other stakeholders on the provenance of our delicious California Prunes.”

Harvesting of this year’s California Prune crop has just been completed, with a tight supply of premium quality prunes ready to be shipped. To find out more about California Prunes and to discuss trade opportunities, visit the team at Stand H-61, Hall 10.2 at Anuga. To book an appointment with a California Prune representative, please contact info@californiaprunes.net.

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