Sales of Spanish persimmon to the UK have hit a new record level, with the industry reporting shipments have more than doubled this season.
According to growers, a total of 1,234 tonnes of the fruit were sent to the UK in 2011/12, compared with 516 tonnes in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, estimates from UK supermarkets suggest that approximately 5.1m persimmons were sold during the Spanish season, compared with 2.1m the previous year – also a record.
Although it is known as Kaki in Spain, the country's persimmon exports are marketed as 'persimon' in the UK to avoid confusion with competitors' production.
The DO-protected persimmon is promoted in store and in the media by Foods from Spain each year, including consumer sampling events and educational labels on packs in supermarkets as well as editorial features on the fruit in the online and printed press.
Retailers also contributed to the Foods from Spain campaign with elements that included additional sampling days and stock and extra print runs of promotional labels. They also increased listings of multiple pack formats of between two to four persimmon.
'We are really pleased with this growth for Spanish persimmon in the UK, where demand has increased significantly for another successive year,' Rafael Perucho, head of the regulatory council, Kaki de la Ribera del Xúquer Plaça which controls the DO certification for the fruit. 'A strong promotional package for this exotic fruit during its season in stores and in the media, coupled with great support from our retailer customers, has combined to make the persimmon more popular than even some mainstream categories of produce.'
María José Sevilla, director of Foods from Spain, commented: 'Our campaign to promote the Spanish persimmon has focused on education and trial. This is a new fruit for many shoppers, so we give them opportunities to find out about its taste, where it comes from, how easy it is to eat – and, crucially, opportunities to try it.
'The incredible growth in sales of the persimmon is a great success story for Spanish fresh produce, particularly when you consider this fruit was virtually unknown to UK shoppers just a few years ago,' he added.
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