Greek salad producer Vezyroglou Farm is set to launch three new bagged salads, becoming the first company to grow baby kale in the country.
The firm, which grows lettuce and baby leaf, is looking to benefit from a growing trend for superfoods and healthy eating in Greece and other European markets.
Predominantly supplying the domestic retail and foodservice markets, the company will start distributing its new Kale Mix on 1 May, along with two other bagged baby leaves: red mustard and red mizuna.
The unwashed Kale Mix will be labelled a superfood on its packaging – a first for the producer, which is hopeful the new product will sell well in Greece following three years of trials.
Demand for bagged salads is growing in the country and Vezyroglou Farm’s business development manager Alexis Egglezos attributes the rise the convenience and competitive price of the product.
“Greek consumers are starting to look for superfoods and healthy foods in general,” said Egglezos. “We want see what the feeling of the market is with superfoods. We don’t know for sure, but we think it will be a good proposition.”
As well as supplying domestic supermarkets and foodservice companies, Vezyroglou Farm also exports around five per cent of its production to neighbouring Bulgaria. Going forward, Egglezos said he hoped the company can break into other markets too, with Romania the main target at present.
“For us, Romania would be a good choice right now,” he said. “The economic situation there is very good at the moment, plus it’s a member of the European Union. Afterwards, the UK is maybe a possibility because there is a big industry for baby leaf there.”
Based in the region of Alexandria Imathia in northern Greece, Vezyroglou Farm grows across 80 hectares, predominantly in net houses.
