Tag Archives: marketing

EU imported 3% more produce from third countries

According to the latest EU statistics, imports of fruit and vegetables by the block from third countries increased by three per cent during the first half of 2018.  During the period €7,745 million of fruit and €1,576 million of vegetables were imported, with fruit showing a 6.5 per cent rise, while vegetables actually fell 9 per cent compared to the same period the previous year. The largest sources of fruit were South Africa (920,464 tonnes), Costa Rica (816,291 tonnes), Chile (738,648 tonnes) and Morocco (618,753 tonnes), and the main products bananas, pineapples and grapes. The most imported vegetable crops were tomatoes, and ‘pod vegetables’ such as green beans, with the largest source by a significant margin being Morocco, followed by Turkey and Egypt. Photo Credit: pxhere The post EU imported 3% more produce from third countries appeared first on Hort News on 21 Feb 2019.

New global cherry initiative announced

The formation of a new organisation to promote the consumption of cherries globally has been agreed by some of the leading producers at Fruit Logistica. The countries, which include Argentina, Chile, Greece, Hungary, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the United States, met during the event in Berlin and agreed that the new organisation would facilitate consumption and share information. The first meeting of the group will take place at the Global Cherry Summit in April, but it has already identified a need to commission research into cherry’s nutritional properties with a view to incorporating approved health claims in future marketing campaigns.  Over the last ten years cherry volumes have doubled while values have increased three-fold, and the sector is now worth an estimated $2.5 billion a year. Photo Credit: pixino The post New global cherry initiative announced appeared first on Hort News on 21 feb 2019.

Purple Tenderstem variety launched

M&S is to sell a new purple variety of Tenderstem sprouting broccoli which will be launched by brand marketing company Coregeo as Tenderstem Royale.

Royale® is claimed to have “a more mellow and buttery flavour, a distinct darker coloured stem with purple hues, like the popular purple sprouting broccoli, but much more versatile, as well as being quicker and easier to cook.”

M&S Vegetable Buyer Jo Oliver commented, “We know customers are on the lookout for healthy options, especially in January, and the new Tenderstem Royale offers them an exciting new ingredient to experiment with. It’s great for adding to stir fries, steaming or cooked on a griddle pan and drizzled with oil. We’re delighted that M&S customers get to try it first.”

According to the Tenderstem website, ‘As we are all living increasingly busy lives, now more than ever there is a demand for vegetables that are easy to cook, have no prep time and no waste, while offering a balance of flavours. It is sure to be the new vegetable that everyone will want to try at their next dinner party, or an easy way to introduce a new, colourful veggie to their favourite mid-week menu.’

The new variety was bred by Sakata Europe, and Managing Director of Sakata UK, Stuart Cox, added, “The popularity of Tenderstem continues to grow, with year-on-year volume sales up 17 per cent. Consumers love that there’s no prep time, zero waste and that it’s easy to cook.” The new product will be grown and packed by Flamingo Produce.

Photo Credit: Tenderstem / Coregeo

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Greengrocers benefit from plastics backlash

Greengrocers and wholesalers say that they are benefitting as consumers shun plastics and packaging following the television series Blue Planet II.

According to reports, so-called millennials are looking for more sustainably produced produce and want more information about what they are buying. “We’ve definitely seen an increase in millennials coming to buy fruit and veg at the market,” said David Matchett, development manager at Borough Market in London. “They want to connect with their food and see where it comes from – greengrocers and markets can help with that. Millennials are interested in different sustainable diets so they come to ask our traders about it and can get informed. They really care about climate change and come here because we use minimal packaging.

“Food of a higher value is appreciated by this generation who are becoming more aware – you need personal contact with people who know about the food at the greengrocers or the market.”

Greengrocer Grant Fox, of Seasons of England, said, “We have loads of young customers. I would say (millennials) care about seasonal produce and their carbon footprint. 90 per cent of our plants aren’t wrapped in plastic – they’re all loose.”

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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IPM Essen to focus on younger audience

International horticultural fair IPM Essen, which will be held in January, has announced that attracting younger consumers will be one of the key themes of the next event.

The organisers say that young, urban (and mostly also affluent) purchasers want healthy, sustainable and regional products, but also have different buying patterns to previous generations. “They no longer buy their plants in a customary nursery but instead order them and obtain information about them using the Internet and the social media channels,” said a statement. “The classic retail nurseries and garden centres are losing these customer groups. How can these consumers be won back? What must the horticultural production and the green retail trade do in order to be noticed?” To answer these questions a series of key presentations on specific days dedicated Fruit, Vegetables and Herbs Days will be held.

“[Speakers] will explain what specific characteristics exist and are worth changing over the production for. Moreover, they will illustrate what that means for the procedures and the marketing in the company; because this is often associated with a rethink for entrepreneurs and employees.”

The Fruit, Vegetable and Herbs Days will take place in the IPM Discovery Centre, the POS experience world at IPM ESSEN. A total of ten lectures are being organised by Haymarket Media and confirmed speakers include Carsten Markus, Brand Manager for Experience Green at Sagaflor and Markus Kobelt, Managing Director of the Lubera Fruit and Berry Tree Nursery.

Photo Credit: IPM Essen – Alex Muchnik/©MESSE ESSEN GmbH

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New name for soft fruit campaign

The Seasonal Berries campaign, which was launched twelve years ago by grower cooperative British Summer Fruits (BSF) to promote year-round berry consumption in the UK, irrespective of produce origin, has been given a new name, brand identity and website.

The campaign will now be called Love Fresh Berries as BSF chairman Nick Marston explained: “We felt that ‘seasonal’ had different permutations and connotations to people. Some people felt it meant British, others felt it didn’t mean winter berries, and given the availability of great-eating fruit from many places around the world through the winter months, we felt it was appropriate to rename the campaign.”

The change of name coincides with seasonal efforts to increase consumption over the winter months. Love Fresh Berries spokesperson and dietician Sophie Medlin said, “We often think of berries as being a summer fruit, but they are available all year round which means that we can still benefit from the nutrients that they contain. Berries are a great source of vitamin C which has been shown to shorten the length of a cold. They also contain important antioxidants and polyphenols which are excellent for our overall health.”

The new Love Fresh Berries campaign can be found online at lovefreshberries.co.uk.

Photo Credit: Nick Youngson, Alpha Stock Images

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Social media help potato sales

AHDB Potatoes says that its ‘Bud the Spud’ campaign, and its take-up on social media has led to an increase in the sale of fresh potatoes following years of decline.

Bud was introduced to consumers three years ago as part of an EU co-financed joint campaign with Bord Bia (the Irish food board), with the aim of “emotionally re-engaging consumers with potatoes”, through providing quick-and-easy meal inspiration to fit in with our ever-busier lifestyles, while reminding them of the healthy and nutritious virtues of potatoes.

Another success was AHDB’s ‘More than a Bit on the Side’ where the target audience has continued to increase following each wave of campaign activity. AHDB says that analysis shows that consumer perceptions of potatoes being versatile and healthy were all higher than when the campaign started. Furthermore, findings from all bursts of post-campaign research have shown around 9 in 10 consumers are now considering cooking potatoes either on weekdays or weekends.

AHDB Potatoes added, ‘While retail performance cannot be directly attributed to marketing activity, at the end of the second year of the campaign Kantar WorldPanel figures showed that fresh potato volumes sold are higher than the level predicted, in this way the campaign is viewed as exceeding its target for the first two full years of activity.’

Photo Credit: AHDB

The post Social media help potato sales appeared first on Hort News on 23 May 2018.

Morrisons’ veg boxes proving popular

Supermarket Morrisons has launched two new value veg boxes, one priced at £3 (although it was launched at a promotional price of just £1) and a larger one at £5. The smaller box is available online, with the larger one in stores.

Morrisons vegetable buyer Andy Todd said, “We’ve listened to our customers who told us they want even more affordable veg. They are a great way for our customers to buy British or eat seasonally or feed the family for the week.” The retailer says the £5 box contains enough vegetables to feed a family of four for four or five days. The seasonal products include items such as carrots, courgettes, onions, potatoes, cauliflower, with many lines being slightly misshapen or out of specification for other products. Produce is currently sourced from up to 60 British growers, but the retailer said that the new line would not be exclusively British in origin.

Photo Credit: Morrisons

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Construction begins on new Berry Gardens packhouse

Construction has begun on Berry Gardens’ new £18 million packing facility at Linton, near Maidstone in Kent.

Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Malcolm Greer dug the first ceremonial turf on Friday 29 September, marking the start of a two year construction process, with the scheme being developed by farming and haulage company Alan Firmin Ltd.

Michael Firmin, Managing Director of Alan Firmin, said, “We are delighted to be commencing work on this purpose built, high quality facility. We and Berry Gardens have a long track record of working together, and we are very pleased to be able to assist again with their expansion plans for the future.”

Nick Allen, Berry Garden’s Chief Operating Officer, added: “Today marks an exciting development in Berry Gardens’ history. The construction of the new head office and packing facility will ensure we continue to meet the challenges of our thriving market and create sustainable local employment.”

The 14,000 sq ft complex will include offices and 12 loading bays, as well as featuring solar panels and ecological areas. It is expected to safeguard 434 existing jobs and create up to 500 new ones. Cllr Greer commented, “This is an important investment for Maidstone and sends a positive, confident message about the prospects for the area’s fruit industry. It’s a privilege to get work started.”

Photo Caption: Artist’s impression of the new packhouse

Photo Credit: Berry Gardens Ltd

The post Construction begins on new Berry Gardens packhouse appeared first on Hort News on 5 Oct 2017.

Brit wants to compete with Dutch flower monopoly

For many years the Dutch auction system at Aalsmeer, and Royal FloraHolland in particular, has been at the heart of global flower trade, selling produce from around the globe to dealers and suppliers who then sell it around the world, with some British plants being sent across the channel before being re-imported.

Now entrepreneur and florist Steve France hopes to change that with a new venture: Florismart. “Everything goes through Amsterdam – the Dutch flower auction. Growers sell to the exporters, the exporters sell it to the wholesalers, and then the wholesalers sell it to the florist. It’s bizarre that flowers go from Kenya to Holland and then through the tunnel into England, when they could just go straight to Stansted,” France, who is also the founder of online florist Arena Flowers, told City A.M.

He also hopes that the new platform will help growers to diversify their production. “We spot trends: not only do we have all the growers putting their product on the platform, but we have all the exporters and florists. It gives us a lot of data on the industry. We can see price movement, and so we take data about what florists are buying and feed growers with information about what they should be growing.”

He also acknowledged that, if successful the service would be another competitor to wholesales: “The local wholesalers just hate us. We’re like their worst nightmare. Not only because we’re changing the market, but it’s clear that florists shouldn’t buy their flowers from a local wholesale market, it’s insane. That wholesaler has rents, it has fridges, and it has staff. And florists end up paying for that.”

Photo Caption: Florismart hopes to challenge Aalsmeer’s monopoly

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

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