The future is bright for tropicals

There is plenty of growth potential in the tropical fruit category, provided suppliers can deliver a consistently high-quality product that will encourage consumers to come back for more.

That was the positive message delivered at this year’s Fruitnet Tropicals Congress, which took place in Antwerp, Belgium on 24 and 25 June.

The event attracted key decision-makers from across the tropical fruit supply chain to discuss ways of growing consumption and avoiding the commoditisation of fruits such as avocados, pineapples and mangoes.

The congress heard how demand in markets like Germany, Italy and the UK shows a very positive growth trend as disposable incomes rise and inflationary pressure eases.

Nevertheless, consumers spending remains cautious, suggesting marketers will have to find new and innovative ways of connecting with consumers.

The fresh-cut segment was identified as a major opportunity to boost sales of tropical fruit. So too was the potential to introduce more “premiumisation” through varietal innovation and greater segmentation within specific product categories like pineapples and avocados.

An in-depth focus on the UK market delved into the types of consumers more likely to buy tropical fruit and the reasons that drive their purchasing decisions.

It revealed that the mature shopper segment, with its high disposable income and predilection to snacking, has plenty of untapped potential for growth.

Throughout the day, speakers highlighted the need for more effective communication and knowledge sharing amongst members of the tropicals supply chain, be it to facilitate smoother, more efficient logistics to ensure that fresher fruit reaches the supermarket shelf, or to develop proactive consumer marketing campaigns to drive up sales.

Maria Wieloch, head of category management and business development fruit, vegetables and flowers at Sweden’s ICA Gruppen, commented: “I would say there is a bright future for food in general, because there has to be, since the consumption is so low. And I think that tropicals have the advantage of having such a good taste. Because we know that quality and taste is key in order to actually get consumption up, especially when we look at kids”.

Luca Battaglio, president of Italy’s Battaglio SpA, said: “What has changed in the last few years is that finally we started selling good quality. [The industry] has been guilty in the past, in many, many markets, of selling very poor quality mangoes that were very hard, like wood. The avocados were not ripe. And because of this, many consumers were scared about the quality, and so they didn’t like it.

“But now something had changed. Young consumers know the fruit better and finally have good quality. If we continue in this way, we can do much more.

”Avocados and mangoes are becoming more and more a traditional fruit, not just a niche,” he added. ”So I think that we can do the same in future for passion fruit and for pitahaya. But we need to focus on quality and knowledge.”