Things continue to change in stonefruit, as with every other category in this most dynamic of industries, but Frank Guest believes they have never changed at a pace that can't be handled.
“The speed of change is not like fashion,” he says, and of course fruit can't be designed differently for each season. “But the ësimple' business of selling a nectarine, for instance, that is in good condition, of good eating quality and value for money has changed entirely. The consumer is exposed to a far wider range of offer, be that different varieties, sizing, tree-ripened fruit or packaging, and is consequently naturally more demanding. It makes the category more interesting in many ways, but also much more challenging.”
The key to the direction of the stonefruit category in the UK retail sector is undoubtedly customer segmentation. Just take the shelves of the market leader Tesco, which can feature anything up to 35 different stonefruit lines at any one time. The retailers as a unit are attempting to offer their customers at every level of the affluence chain the opportunity to purchase from their stonefruit range. From the small volume, high quality lines featured in the Tesco Finest and Sainsbury's Taste the Difference ranges aimed at the less price-conscious consumer to the lowest entry point of high volume, low priced fruit at the bottom end of the spend scale, there is a recognised need to attract initial buy-in to the stonefruit category.
Guest purchases most of his stonefruit volume for the non-supermarket sector, where he says the dynamics are similar. “The independent retailer is also looking to segment the offer,” he says. “Adding different varieties is just one way of course; some retailers want larger fruit, some want highly coloured fruit and some want bigger volumes of loose peaches and nectarines to give them a point of difference.”
The advent of punnets was undoubtedly a boon for stonefruit in general though, and Guest says this format of selling still “reigns supreme”. He explains: “In terms of providing the best value for the big central chunk of family consumers, punnets lead the way. Size can be modified to suit the season, availability and price expectations ñ average punnet size during the southern hemisphere season is around half that in the northern hemisphere peak. But the retailers and wholesalers are looking for as many ways as possible to maximise sales and stonefruit is flexible enough to offer that potential.”
Varietal development is put at the top of the agenda by most in the industry, and while he agrees it is important, Guest says that the ability of the consumer to distinguish between some types can be overstated. “You can bolt some of the varieties together and most people would not be able to tell the difference. The crucial thing is that the fruit that is available is suitable for whichever customer it is being sold to,” he adds.
“There are no mainstream stonefruit varieties with serious quality issues. As long as the job is being done right ñ and when producers are being asked comply with EurepGAP and other assurance schemes they have no choice but to get it right ñ the consumer will be happy. There are generally accepted principles in the industry and when a producer is working with UK customers they have access to some of the best technical advice in the world.
“I think that the UK is closer than it ever has been to getting the stonefruit job right,” he says. “It often appears that the category is always chasing its tail, looking for the right thing and the next line, but it is still in very good shape.”
Perhaps, he says, the relative order of the category is due to the fact there has never been a real issue with oversupply in stonefruit. As growers around the world are becoming more demand-led and basing planting programmes on the sound advice and research of customers, oversupply may never be the ruinous factor it has become in so many other fruit and vegetable categories.
Consistency is a fine watchword and stonefruit supply has spread itself fairly evenly to match market requirements. “There are few gaps in the calendar and they are becoming fewer,” says Guest. “Whatever gaps do occur are usually unexpected, but there never seems to be an problem filling them quickly. South African lines are exceptionally late from South Africa this year, for example, but I am still handling Italian plums that appear to be even fresher than they were two months ago. Storage has improved tremendously ñ while supply from Italy and Spain at this time is limited, there is enough fruit to meet demand. If you are prepared to go far enough and pay the money, you will usually find the fruit you require.”
By all accounts, the wholesale markets of the UK have endured a rough time of it in the last 10 weeks or so. Stonefruit continues to buck the trend. “There is no question that stonefruit, and particularly peaches and nectarines, is a very exciting product area for the wholesaler,” says Guest. “Of course the European season, which coincides with the high point of summer sales, can drive huge volumes of fruit through a business and generate good profits, but even the smaller volumes that reach the markets during the winter are big sellers at decent prices. There is usually an opportunity for everyone to make a reasonable margin, which you can't say for many lines.”
Pricing, however, is the key element. “It is quite amazing the difference it can make when you move from 20-25p a piece for a 30 piece tray down to a slightly keener price. The volume of stonefruit that can be sold at the right price never ceases to astonish me,” Guest says.
As you would expect, Guest is not finished yet, and neither is the developmental phase of the stonefruit sector. “There is undoubtedly still a long way to go yet,” he concludes. “Looking back over a longer period you can see that prices have come down for southern hemisphere fruit, and that has not been a costly move for importers or their customers by any means.”
A man steeped in northern hemisphere tradition is one of many who has willingly become part of the bigger picture. Like all of them, he awaits the next strokes of the unknown artist's brush with interest.
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