Sweet Palermo Congress
"Brand development key element for pepper category"
Alberto Cuadrado Salmerón, Chain Manager at Rijk Zwaan, kicked off the proceedings and moderated the congress. Anne Mansky from market research specialist GfK Germany started with an overview of the retail market in Germany. She mentioned the increasing focus amongst retailers on high quality in their fresh produce categories, saying: “It’s important for a retailer to have an attractive fruit and vegetable presentation, since it has a halo effect on the total image of the store.” GfK’s insightful consumer data reveals that the pointed pepper is an obvious trend; its value share of the sweet pepper category has increased from around 10% in 2013 to almost 15% by the end of 2017, with the red-coloured pointed pepper being a particular favourite. “In Germany, discount supermarkets are the pioneers for pointed peppers. They already account for almost a fifth of their pepper volume and this is set to rise further. This shows that there is great potential for Sweet Palermo, and not only among discounters,” she concluded.
Aurelio del Pino González, General Manager at the association of Spanish supermarket chains (Asociación de Cadenas Españolas de Supermercados/ACES), echoed Anne’s comments on the importance of the fresh produce department for retailers: “Supermarkets are paying more attention to the fresh fruit and vegetable category since it leads to more loyal consumers.” He also touched on the branding and differentiation opportunities within fresh peppers: “Brand development is a key element for the pepper category. There are already many different products in the tomato category, and it should be the same for peppers.”
Other sessions during the event ensured a broad European – and even worldwide – focus. Heleen van Rijk-Wassenaar’s overview of Rijk Zwaan’s recent research into the pepper market in the UK was followed by a presentation by Víctor Cegarra Sánchez, Chain Specialist at Rijk Zwaan, who informed the audience about the European expansion of Sweet Palermo. “In Eastern Europe, supermarkets are more open to the use of branded packaging. This is a great opportunity to position brands such as Sweet Palermo,” he stated.
Taking things even further afield, Marianne van der Gragt from New Green Overseas shared her experiences of introducing Sweet Palermo in Japan. It was key to show people how to make the versatile sweet pointed pepper part of their daily eating habits, she explained: “To convince a consumer to try Sweet Palermo, you have to create a consumption moment. Once we did that, the Japanese were convinced.”
Cindy van Rijswick from Rabobank Research Food and Agribusiness put things in a wider industry perspective by providing a more general view of the developments in the foodservice and online markets. “The consumption of vegetables through foodservice is increasing impressively. It’s a good sign that restaurants and other foodservice channels are using more and more vegetables,” she observed. Meanwhile, the online retail channel is growing very fast, according to Cindy: “We expect this channel to have more than 20% market share by 2029. Digitalisation is driving major changes in both retail and foodservice. The emergence of new sales channels and new ways of interacting with customers will alter the market, including the vegetable category,” she commented.
Rounding off the event, Florent Rezeau, Crop Coordinator at Rijk Zwaan, updated delegates on the latest Sweet Palermo breeding activities. “We are further expanding the range of Sweet Palermo varieties. Our breeding goals are focused on sweetness, shape, yield and new colours.” By the end of the successful event, Sweet Palermo partners from across Europe had gained a fresh look at the market and were filled with new inspiration to continue to work together to boost the pepper category, helped by the Sweet Palermo brand.
For more information:
www.sweetpalermo.com
Rijk Zwaan
info@rijkzwaan.com
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