"Poland: "People are willing to pay more for specialties"
"The tomato market is not stable at the moment, but this is often the case during the middle of January. Spain started later and there have been some quality issues. Although the prices are lower than they were this time last year, they are expected to rise again after the tornado, which hit Spain earlier this week, wiped out a number of greenhouses," Michal Knop from Amplus shared.
During this time of year, the company is primarily busy with the domestic market, along with a small number of exports to the Czech Republic.
Consumer preferences in Poland continue to change
"People here used to prefer a combination of low prices with big sizes, but now they are willing to pay more for specialties, and it's all about flavour. Pink tomatoes, in particular, have become a big hit, taking the place of the traditional loose and vine tomatoes. More and more growers are increasing production for the newer variety, and we will be increasing ours by 25% this season," continued Michal.
"I think that a big reason for this shift is that the world is getting smaller and Polish consumers saw these tasty tomato varieties in other countries and wanted to have them here as well. What has also helped is that the economy has improved and people have more money to spend."
In order to teach consumers further about the different types of tomatoes available, Amplus includes information inside of the packaging, including recipes and preparation tips.
"We have noticed that there has already been a change in packaging. Tomatoes used to be sold loose and now our best selling size is smaller packaging of 250g and 500g."
For more information:
Michal Knop
Amplus
Tel: +48 602 278 614
Email: michal.knop@amplusfoods.com
www.amplusfoods.com