EDWARD Gough, managing director of Beacon Foods, believes the exotics ingredients market is a UK growth area with plenty of room for further development.
Beacon Foods is one of the UK's leading fresh and exotic ingredients specialists. Since its inception in 1993 the company has developed rapidly and is now one of the country's biggest importers of quality Spanish garlic. The company sources its fruit, vegetables and spices from across the world and quality is paramount.
Gough has seen the industry change as the company has developed. He says: "Many of the companies we supply know that consumers are more demanding than ever, they want something different and they're after new fashionable products."
Gough believes that the erosion of the traditional family environment has seen people willing to try out new foods. "With many people living on their own and society changing, people want to try new things whether this is sandwiches, ready meals or new pizzas," he says. "One area that is growing very rapidly for us is the marketplace for smoothies. Demand here seems to know no boundaries."
The garlic market is massive for Beacon and continues to grow. He explains: "We are currently churning out 30 tonnes of garlic every week. This is provided in a variety of ways. Garlic puree is obviously a very big market. But we also have big demands for chopped, sliced, honey roasted, chargrilled. The list is endless and when our customers request new types, we have a product development team in place to develop the ideas."
The product development team is essential to the success of the business. Gough says: “Ideas come from the team, or from customers who approach us asking if we can develop an idea for them. Some of our new products come from variations on existing products. Our customers are continually looking for new improvements and it's our job to continue to come up with new ideas."
Gough also believes that specialist lines such as pineapples and peaches form part of a key offer to customers. Gough says: "Compared to our core garlic lines, we don't produce large quantities of ingredients such as pineapples and peaches but the demand is there. Consumers want products such as chargrilled pineapple and it forms a valuable part of our offer."
FRESH DELIGHT AT ENHANCED SOLUTIONS
JAVIER Desana, commercial manager at Fresh Delight UK, has seen rapid expansion in the exotics market through a series of factors. A combination of improved logistical solutions matched with consumer interest to new products has resulted in growth across both fruit and vegetable lines.
Desana feels that there is a bright future in the UK for exotics. "In the past it may have been difficult to source exotic lines for customers due to logistical constraints," he says. "But with enhanced logistical solutions, opportunities to supply the UK have increased. Fruit and vegetables that at one time would never reach the UK can now be enjoyed by consumers year-round due to improvements in the cool-chain."
This has made a big difference to Fresh Delight's success. The company receives exotic produce daily from different continents and demand is high. "We are involved in a wide range of exotic lines in fruit and vegetables. We are serving our clients with mangetout, sugar snaps, beans - both fine and extra fine, babycorn, baby vegetables, asparagus and many different varieties of chillies," he says. “While on fruits we are seeing a great deal of interest in physalis, maracuya, granadilla, pitahaya, feijoa and are expanding to mangoes and lime among others."
Desana feels that many of the vegetable exotic lines form an important part of the consumer offer. The rise of the celebrity chef and a plethora of cooking programmes on television has seen many exotic lines become a regular choice in the consumer's shopping basket. He says: "Products such as mangetout, sugar snaps and fine beans are increasing in popularity. Consumers do not see these products as something incredibly different anymore and enjoy cooking with them."
Fresh Delight UK aims to meet supply requirements by sourcing from all corners of the globe. Desana explains: "We have strategically selected our suppliers so we can supply our customers all year-round. For example we won't be able to supply pitahaya from Colombia when Colombia is out of season. So at that time we look to source from Vietnam and Thailand. We bring produce from four continents so we can provide year-round quality produce."
With sourcing produce from around the globe, food safety plays an integral role. Desana says: "All of our growers have a trace back programme in place. The vast majority of these are EurepGAP certified and they fulfil European food safety requirements."
Desana feels that the exotics market is developing well and Fresh Delight UK is ensuring that its growing base see its demands met. He says: "There are four markets we want to supply; wholesale, retail, foodservice and food processing. We are working hard to expand into them without losing the focus on service they individually require."
No comments yet