Proven Winners Goes 100% Branded

Ellen C. Wells

Beginning with shipments on and after November 1, all Proven Winners annuals liners for the 2022 spring selling season will require branded containers—or will need to utilize their tag exchange program or bundled kits for hanging baskets and upright container recipes. The move comes after more than two decades of the company proving that branding, when linked to quality, works to increase sales.

Why the change? Proven Winners says there’s more consumer demand than ever for the brand. And they explain that they’ve been fielding concerns from consumers who see Proven Winners annuals not in the white pot that they’ve come to associate with the brand. Are they authentic? Requiring the recognizable branded container covers that question and assures your customers they’re buying what they intended—and without having to ask you if they are indeed Proven Winners varieties.

Proven Winners is calling this the “Complete Package Program.” And it’s not new, just new for the annuals. The branded container/tag requirement has been in place for Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Shrubs since the 2003-2004 season, for Proven Winners Perennials since 2011-2012 and for Proven Winners Heart to Heart Caladiums since it started in 2019-2020.

There are some exceptions: those would be Proven Selections varieties, Canadian customers, and some botanical gardens and trials sites. Customers can work with their Proven Winners plant broker to purchase branded containers for Proven Winners annuals plants, and H.C. Companies and East Jordan are the official suppliers of branded containers for annuals. GT