Monday, March 24, 2008

Product Review: Dole Tropical Fruit Cup

Product Review: Dole Tropical Fruit Cup
4 for $2 at most grocery stores

I’m all about the fruit cup these days and Dole delivers in a big way. Dole manufactures 13 varieties of fruit cup ranging from standard fruit cocktail to more elaborate parfait combos, but I’m stuck on their tropical fruit variety. The DTFC is a blend of pineapples and red and yellow papayas in pineapple juice. I’m not sure if I would recognize a papaya in the wild, but in the fruit cup format they provide the perfect color complement and flavor foil to the livelier pineapple. Instead of syrup, Dole uses natural fruit juice, which leaves you half a cup of quality juice to sip at your leisure. I like to team the DTFC up with a Sunbelt Fudge-Dipped granola bar, crackers or a banana and use the shot of fruit juice to chase down the other snack. No one wants to look like a hobo eating out of a can, and from a style standpoint, the DTFC has a sleek and classy minimalist design. There are no logos or nutritional info stamped on the cups themselves and from a distance the clear plastic could be mistaken for an actual tiny bowl of fruit.

Verdict: If you’re looking for a between meal snack to keep you going, the 4oz cup doesn’t stand on its own, but as a companion snack it has the versatility to go with either sweet or salty options. It’s slightly pricier than larger canned fruit products, but the quality of fruit and portability make it worthwhile. Bravo, Dole, bravo.

2 comments:

dave kutz said...

I was hungry from a lack of dinner the other night. I found myself at Joshua's apartment and when he asked if I'd like a fruit cup, I said I would. Long story short - Dole Fruit Cups kick ass. I always had a problem with the liquid in fruit cups / preserved fruit items of any kind. The liquid made me uncomfortable and want to finish the fruit quickly. The Dole Fruit Cup contains liquid, which as Josh mentioned, invites savoring and a careful, measured sip. As a side note - just the mention of a Sunbelt chocolate covered granola bar conjures intense nostalgia for the part in my youth when that bar was the go-to for most snacking. My favorite granola bar.

Alex Kotce said...

Amazing