FarmVille Fanatics Team Up With Dreyer's Fruit Bars to Plant Real Crops

OAKLAND, Calif., May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer, the Dreyer's Fruit Bars* brand is bringing a taste of real life to the online gaming world.   On June 13, 2011, top players from Zynga's wildly popular FarmVille game are packing their shovels and leaving their virtual farms behind as they head to rural Farmville, Virginia to plant an actual fruit orchard for the community.  

The new orchard in Farmville, VA commemorates a branded integration between Dreyer's Fruit Bars and FarmVille.  From June 13 to June 19, 2011, FarmVille players across the country will plant limited edition Dreyer's Fruit Bars branded crops within the FarmVille game, earning additional profitability and the opportunity to receive mastery recognition for planting, growing and selling the Fruit Bars crops.

A handful of lucky players have been selected to plant trees in real life, as well.  Sharyn Martinez is among the FarmVille enthusiasts traveling to Farmville, VA to plant a fruit orchard with Dreyer's Fruit Bars.  "Being from Los Angeles, I thought the only way I'd get to plant an orchard was on my beautiful virtual farm! But now, thanks to Dreyer's Fruit Bars and Zynga, I am getting ready to dig in and plant fruit trees in the real town of Farmville," says Sharyn.

The planting in Farmville, VA is an example of Dreyer's Fruit Bars ongoing commitment to revitalizing one of our most precious resources:  fruit trees. In 2010, Fruit Bars introduced Communities Take Root, an annual program dedicated to planting fruit tree orchards in deserving communities nationwide.  Throughout the summer, Dreyer's Fruit Bars invites people across the United States to cast their vote to help twenty communities blossom, one orchard at a time.  

"Dreyer's is passionate about helping neighborhoods become greener, healthier and of course, sweeter. We're thrilled to introduce Fruit Bars and the Communities Take Root program to Farmville's passionate community, and to support FarmVille players in bring a thriving fruit orchard to the Farmville, VA community," says Jia Li, Fruit Bars Associate Brand Manager.

To learn more about Dreyer's Fruit Bars and Communities Take Root, visit www.CommunitiesTakeRoot.com to read the inspiring nominations and cast your vote. The communities with the most votes will receive a fruit tree orchard, which will be planted in partnership with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to planting fruit trees to support healthy nutrition worldwide.

*Marketed as Edy's® Fruit Bars in the Midwest and East.

About Nestle Dreyer's Ice Cream

Nestle Dreyer's Ice Cream Company is part of Nestle USA, and is owned by Nestle S.A. of Vevey, Switzerland, the world's largest nutrition, health and wellness company.  Nestle Dreyer's Ice Cream Company manufactures, markets and distributes a full spectrum of ice cream and frozen snacks.  The company's premium products are marketed under the Dreyer's brand name throughout the Western states and Texas, and under the Edy's® brand name throughout the remainder of the United States.  Brands manufactured or distributed in the United States include Dreyer's/Edy's® Grand, Slow Churned®, Dibs®, MAXX, Fruit Bars, Nestle Crunch®, Drumstick®, Butterfinger®, Toll House®, Push-Up®, Frosty Paws®, Eskimo Pie®, Skinny Cow™ and Haagen-Dazs®.  Internationally, the Dreyer's brand extends to select markets in the Far East and the Edy's brand extends to the Caribbean and South America.  For more information on the company, please visit www.dreyersinc.com.

In the U.S., the Haagen-Dazs trademark is licensed to Nestle by General Mills.

About The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation

The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF) is an international nonprofit charity dedicated to planting fruitful trees and plants to alleviate world hunger, combat global warming, strengthen communities, and improve the surrounding air, soil, and water. FTPF programs strategically donate orchards where the harvest will best serve communities for generations, at places such as public schools, city parks, low-income neighborhoods, Native American reservations, and international hunger relief sites. FTPF's unique mission, which has been featured in major publications and broadcasts across the country, benefits the environment, human health, and community involvement—all at once! For more information please visit www.ftpf.org.

SOURCE Dreyer's