Fresh Produce News
Jan Doldersum of Rijk Zwaan will champion the use of social media at the upcoming European Vegetable Strategies event
Using social media to grow the salads category is an exciting opportunity for companies provided they also understand the challenges that is poses.
That’s the message that Rijk Zwaan marketing and business development manager Jan Doldersum is going to give to delegates at European Vegetable Strategies 2014, the new international conference event for the European fresh vegetable sector that takes place in Brussels at the start of next month.
Rijk Zwaan, a family-owned business that is one of the world’s leading seed companies, launched its Love My Salad website in Europe a couple of years ago, and opened a “social salad network” in China last year too. The website, which is available in 13 languages at lovemysalad.com, has attracted millions of hits and many thousands of likes from users all over the world. It gives users the chance to inform themselves about salads and to share recipe ideas and much more.
“Social media is a great way to communicate with consumers,” says Jan Doldersum. “But social media requires constant attention, and you’ve got to be very careful about things like internet security. It’s a big challenge.”
Rijk Zwaan is presenting its ideas in keynote sessions at European Vegetable Strategies 2014 at the Hotel Bloom in Brussels on Thursday 5 June. The event opens the previous evening with an informal get-together at Brussels’ renowned art nouveau brasserie De Ultieme Halluncinatie.
Rijk Zwaan is a key sponsor of European Vegetable Strategies 2014, which is organised by Europe’s leading fresh produce trade magazines, Eurofruit, Fruchthandel Magazin, and Fresh Produce Journal.
Some 120-150 senior managers from fresh produce businesses in Europe are due to attend EVS2014 on 4-5 June 2014. More information is available online at http://www.vegetablecongress.com/
Retailer targets greater transparency in effort to position itself as UK market’s fresh-led value food retailer
Morrisons, the UK’s fourth-largest grocery retailer, has launched an online price-checking service designed to reassure shoppers that price cuts during any particular week are not simply temporary promotions designed to boost sales in a particular week.
The move follows the company’s recent announcement that it was going to be “permanently cheaper” by pursuing a strategy of price reductions on 1,200 everyday essential items in order to build its reputation as a fresh-led value grocer.
Industry analyst MySupermarket.com, which is running the service, will monitor price reductions across Morrisons’ entire range and publish its findings on the website, providing visual illustrations of individual products’ pricing history.
Shoppers will be able to look at any of the products on offer and check the retailer hasn’t in fact put prices up.
Commenting on the new price transparency website, Morrisons chief executive Dalton Philips said: “We’re serious about getting cheaper and setting new standards in transparency of pricing. We want our customers to be proud of the products they buy and be reassured that they are cheaper. We have nothing to hide.”
The cheaper prices are already being communicated to customers through a new marketing campaign with the strap line ‘I’m Your New Cheaper Morrisons’.
New Zealand is now producing more fruit than it did a decade ago, despite planted area contracting by around a quarter
New Zealand is expected to ship around 310,000 tonnes of apples this season – a pleasantly surprising result for the country’s growers during what is an off year in their trees’ biennial bearing cycle.
Last year’s full crop yielded a 12% increase in shipments overseas to 324,684 tonnes, according to industry body Pipfruit NZ, and this year’s export volumes had been expected to fall back in line with a downturn in production to around 480,500 tonnes.
However, exporters had already expressed confidence at the start of the 2014 campaign about the prospects for NZ apples, mainly based on the anticipated demand for smaller-sized fruit in key markets such as the UK and the fact that frosts in Chile and hail in South Africa would mean availability of those sizes was under pressure from the start of the season.
New Zealand’s apple export trade has also been aided by a further increase in demand from the developing Asian market, where volumes sold to China and Hong Kong increased from 15,268 tonnes in 2012 to 21,443 tonnes last year, despite a temporary suspension of shipments in September.
The country’s top five export markets in 2013 were the UK (44,312 tonnes), US (), Netherlands (), Thailand () and Belgium (). A significant proportion of shipments to the Netherlands and Belgium were re-routed to other markets across Europe, with demand boosted by a smaller Northern Hemisphere crop and, again, damage to crops in Chile and South Africa.
Thailand, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the shining examples of successful market diversification: in just five years, it has gone from importing less than 8,000 tonnes of NZ apples to almost 28,000 tonnes in 2013.
Similar dramatic increases have been observed in the UAE, which imported 18,404 tonnes in 2013 – four times the 2008 figure; in India, up from 4,966 tonnes to 14,330 tonnes during the same period; and in Vietnam, now taking around 3,000-4,000 tonnes compared with just 750 five years before.
New Zealand also appears to be reaping the rewards of a sizeable increase in productivity as the sector has consolidated in the post-deregulation era.
Figures released by Pipfruit NZ show that, while planted area for apples has declined by nearly 25% since 2005, production of export-grade fruit is at a similar, if not higher, level now to that seen a decade ago.
Former chef and ex-manager at 2 Sisters Food Group, Bryan Nelson, will take over accounts for Freshtime’s largest retail customers
Growing salad and vegetable company Freshtime has boosted its management team with the addition of former chef Bryan Nelson.
Nelson, who has been working in the food industry for 20 years, will handle Freshtime’s three largest retail customers in his role of national account manager.
Having opened a restaurant in Aberdeen, Nelson has also previously worked as commercial manager at Young’s Seafood and new business manager at 2 Sisters Food Group.
“This business is ready to expand and I’m looking forward to being part of it,” he said. “Our managing director Mark Newton was a huge influence on my decision to come here. I knew the company before I joined; Mark has told me about his plans for the future and it’s ready to take off.”
Newton confirmed that the company is in the process of building a strong team to take Freshtime to the next level. “Bryan has extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the food industry and will be a real asset to the company,” he said.
Freshtime employs over 300 people and supplies prepared vegetables and salads to multiple retailers and food service operators.
Pakistan’s projections of mango exports are set to stay largely unchanged from previous years, despite the EU ban on Indian mangoes
Pakistan’s mango exports are forecast to be valued at US$65m by the end of the season, only slightly higher than last year’s US$60m, said the Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) in a statement released this week, according to the Express Tribune.
Despite the EU ban on Indian imports, the PFVA is not forecasted growth for its own mango exports, with the season due to begin 25 May. PFVA spokesman Waheed Ahmed told the Tribune that mango production would drop to 1.45m tonnes, from 1.85m tonnes in 2013, due to poor weather conditions hitting the country’s key mango producing regions.
Pakistan will now focus on quality not quantity of produce, said Ahmed, and would be looking to export to potential new markets of South Korea and Australia, and will continue trade with Europe, where it currently ships 24,000 mangoes annually.
Exports are still closed to the US and Japan, along with a severed trade agreement with Iran following US international sanctions, costing Pakistan US$10 in mango exports annually.
New entity will trade as Hortifrut Expofresh SA and will focus on development of early season blueberry varieties
Hortifrut has announced that it is to merge its Argentine operations with Expofresh to jointly develop exclusive early season blueberry varieties for international markets.
Announcing the union, which includes Expofresh’s Tucumán-based production units, Tierra de Berries and Tierra de Arándanos, the companies said it would allow the companies to share logistical synergies and improve levels of customer service.
Both companies will begin working together ahead of the 2014/15 season before the new venture, to be known as Hortifrut Expofresh SA, is formalised.
“This important partnership allows us to collaborate to strengthen the security of high quality early blueberry supply from Argentina to Hortifrut’s commercial platforms and its strategic customers, who will enjoy a better product and delivery service, which will mean more satisfied consumers,” Nicolás Moller, Hortifrut’s general manager said in a press release.
Referring to its new partner as an “inspirational” company, Expofresh president Luis D’Andrea said Argentina’s relatively young blueberry industry would benefit from the Chilean company’s expertise.
“Planning a future together with Hortifrut is challenging, but the shared synergies and access to better genetics will enable Argentine’s industry to grow,” he said.
The Tenderstem team will be sampling and talking to visitors at the Foodies Festival, Taste of London, and Carfest
Tenderstem is going on the road this summer, taking its ‘Tenderstem Around the World’ campaign to the people.
The Tenderstem team will be sampling and talking to visitors at the Foodies Festival (24–26 May), Taste of London (18-22 June), and making its debut at Carfest north and south in August.
The experienced marketing programme will showcase the versatility of Tenderstem, demonstrating how easy to prepare and quick to cook it is.
Michelle Toft, marketing manager for Coregeo, the UK’s master licensor for Tenderstem, said: “This is a great opportunity for us to speak to shoppers and show them why Tenderstem is such a great vegetable.
“Our ‘Around the World’ campaign is also a fun way to show people how easy it is to create tasty food with an ingredient that takes only a few minutes to cook.”
Chefs Mark Lloyd and Clover Hutson will host cooking demos on the Tenderstem stand, and visitors to the shows will be able to enjoy the results. The chefs will also challenge visitors to cook one of four dishes from around the world. No one will go away empty-handed with chopping boards, aprons and recipe books up for grabs
Steven Martina to head up retail sales operation after Cindy van de Velde decides to step down for “personal reasons”
Cindy van de Velde, recently appointed retail director at fresh fruit and vegetable marketer The Greenery, is to leave the company at the start of June, the group has confirmed.
Van de Velde was promoted in January as part of a major reorganisation of the group’s commercial operation, becoming vice-president of global retail sales having previously managed its business in the Benelux.
Steven Martina, who was appointed trade sales director at the same time, will assume responsibility for the retail side of the business at least in the short-term.
A spokesperson told Eurofruit that Van de Velde had decided to leave for “personal reasons” and not as a result of recent changes to its commercial strategy or indeed its poor financial performance over the past few years.
“The Greenery regrets this departure, because of the important role Cindy played in the development and implementation of the 2014-2018 strategy, which she still fully supports.”
Martina’s knowledge of the business would ensure a smooth transition, the spokesperson added: “As Steven and Cindy were jointly responsible for the commercial part of the strategy and were already working together closely, we do not expect any problems in our daily operation. Results up to now do still meet our expectations.”
Van de Velde is the second member of The Greenery’s senior management to leave in the past month, following the departure of chief financial officer Albert Knol in early May.
The company is currently being led by interim chief executive Okke Koo, who has overseen its recent restructuring – dubbed the Phoenix plan.
Earlier this year, the group blamed weak prices and increasing consolidation among European retailers for a fall in net turnover to €1.3bn last year, contributing to a net loss of €2m from its regular business operations.
Taking into account the cost of its reorganisation, that net loss increased to €21m in 2013.
‘Exceptional’ peaches buck the trend for declining export volumes in South African stonefruit with UK market as top destination
The UK has overtaken the Middle East as the largest export market for South African peaches for the first time.
The country’s total peach exports jumped by 14% for the 2013 season, up from 1,197,427 tonnes in 2011/2012 to 1,382,637t for 2012/2013.
Product manager for South African producer group, Hortgro, Jacques du Preez, said peaches had an “exceptional season”. “Cultivars which performed well are Temptation and Transvalia, Ambercrest with an increase in export volumes of 145%, 31% and 45% respectively,” he added.
The UK was also the largest export market for the country’s nectarines, and is the second largest destination for plums.
Du Preez said: “Nectarines exports to the UK were on par with the previous season, peaches up and plums down. But it should be kept in mind that record export volumes materialised during 2012/2013, and that climatic conditions were extremely challenging this season.”
Apricot exports fell by 13%, nectarines saw a drop of five per cent while plums shrank by 7%, according to a Hortgro export report for 2012/2013. Total stonefruit exports fell by 6%, although the average crop was realised at 16,943,133t.
Many South African fruit crops were devastated following severe hailstorms in November 2013, and du Preez said that while an average crop had been achieved, adverse weather has affected fruit quality.
“Plum and nectarine orchards in the Ceres and Klein Karoo regions were mainly affected by the hail,” he said. “Prolonged spring conditions and rain during the harvest season influenced the quality and volumes of the crop.”
He added that reasonable increases in export volumes for the 2014/2015 season can be expected as around a third of stonefruit orchards are not yet in full bearing.
Du Preez said a campaign promoting South African fruit – named ‘Beautiful Fruit Beautiful Country’ – has so far been very Eurocentric, but in future this will expand its focus to Asia and Africa.
He said: “A strategy is being setup to get a much closer relationship between market access and market development. These two will work hand in hand to ensure the opening up of and expanding of markets – firstly in the ME, FE and Africa, but also in other regions of Europe we haven’t been active in.”