Big demand for little carrot

Chantenay carrots are set to be a big success - with sales doubling in line with production and public demand, according to Nottinghamshire co-operative Freshgro.

The second annual Freshgro campaign to promote the product is aimed at answering consumer questions, including ‘what are Chantenay carrots, where are they from, and what do you do with them?’.

The new campaign includes work with the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme and 5 A DAY, as well as the launch of a new children’s website which aims to entertain and educate 4-6-year olds, and their parents and teachers.

The consumer awareness of the little carrots has grown following coverage on national and regional TV and radio, and across a broad range of national and regional print media reaching a readership of over 25 million.

Martin Evans, Freshgro managing director , said: “We came across two distinct types of consumer. Those who had tried Chantenay before, loved the product and bought it faithfully. Those who were trying Chantenay for the first time responded very positively at the shows, and our challenge now is to turn that first experience into a shopping habit.”

There is still a lot of growth in the Chantenay market, particularly for families and children, according to Freshgro.

Evans added: “We are confident that there is an established demand for Chantenay, we now need to grow that demand without losing the ‘specialness’ of the product. The country is crunching Chantenay and we aim to keep it that way.”