Miniature, tear-shaped sweet peppers grown in the Amazon region of Brazil are apparently proving a big hit in Europe as consumers look for alternatives to traditional snack items and healthier additions to salads, desserts and even cocktails.
That’s the view of Peter van Rijn, former marketing manager of Dutch fresh produce company Van Rijn Group and now 50 per cent shareholder in The European Food Company (EFC), which holds the exclusive rights to sell the peppers under its Tiny brand.
According to Van Rijn, the peppers have proven very successful as part of a range that includes other food lines including cheese, tapas and vegetarian products.
“This pepper is small, has a bite and all the perfume of other peppers,” he explains. “The advantage of this pepper is that it doesn’t burn like most peppers do.”
As well as being rich in minerals like sodium, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium, Tiny peppers also contain beta-Carotene, a precursor form of vitamin A commonly found in carrots, pumpkins and sweet potatoes, as well as vitamin C.
Tiny peppers are currently sold by EFC in their natural form as well as with added herbs. The company sells the product to processing companies but also does some processing of its own, supplying fresh and ambient lines to wholesale and retail customers.
“Our products are sold all over Europe,” Rijn adds, hinting that the group will soon step up its marketing activities. “We’re targeting the UK, Germany, Scandanavia, Benelux and France.”
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