Being the only high-quality, stalkless cherry on offer helped Picota to maintain a strong performance this summer, according to Foods from Spain.
Good sales of stemmed cherries meant Picota cherries arrived onto a competitive market during the second week of June.
But excellent fruit - in spite of storms early in the growing season - and a wide-ranging promotional campaign supported sales of approximately 2.2 million packs of the unique fruit.
Fernando Cano, promotions director of the Cereza de Jerte Denomination of Origin Regulatory Council, said: “We experienced stormy weather at harvest time this year, but the Picota cherry is a hardy fruit and we saw only minimal damage to the crop. Although at five weeks the season was shorter than average, we were able to send exceptionally good quality to the UK market throughout.”
María José Sevilla, director of Foods from Spain, highlighted the importance of individuality in a fairly segmented category.
She said: “Consumer interest in soft fruit and stone fruit has reached a new high in the UK, with more people than ever aware of the benefits of eating this type of fresh produce. The consequence is these categories have become very competitive, highlighting the great importance of differentiating the products within them.
“The Foods from Spain promotional campaign once again allowed us to do just this by underlining the individuality of the Picota cherry and telling its unique story to shoppers.”
Picota cherries featured on six-sheet and trolley advertisements in the major multiples, and in retailers’ own magazines, as well as in BBC Good Food Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Daily Mail Weekend, and Food & Travel Magazine advertisements or advertorials.
Offers of DVDs, Cava and free attraction passes for kids ran on packs of Picota, while labels on packs also invited consumers to visit www.foodsfromspain.co.uk and take part in Foods from Spain’s national promotion, which is supporting the integrated campaign throughout the year.
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