With exhibitors now able to apply for the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award 2025, Unica’s business development manager Andrea Álvarez talks about last year’s winning product Zucchiolo
At Fruit Logistica 2024, the Spanish Unica Group presented a completely new vegetable variety called Zucchiolo.
From the outside it looks like a small green pumpkin, while its flavour reminds one of cucumber. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Trade visitors were impressed and honoured the new product with the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award (FLIA) 2024.
What does the FLIA 2024 mean for your company?
Andrea Álvarez: This kind of recognition is very important for our sector, especially now that fruit and vegetables are fighting for their place on the supermarket shelf. It shows that marketing and innovation are top of the agribusiness agenda. I can say with some pride that at Unica they are definitely a driving force. The award is a very useful way to show society how important our sector is – from producers all the way to the consumer.
How much effort was it to create Zucchiolo?
AA: It actually wasn’t easy. Without the farmers who took a huge risk and were the first to plant Zucchiolo, we would never have won the award. It was an all-round team effort by geneticists, farmers, technicians, the packaging department, marketing, quality control and customers. Before we were able to launch Zucchiolo we carried out extensive research into both genetics and cultivation techniques. We tested a wide range of growing conditions with various producers. Basically, we conducted in-depth studies – on agricultural aspects and marketing.
What do you mean by that?
AA: The path to marketing a product can differ from country to country, as consumer habits and aspects of demand vary. We positioned and communicated the product in different ways as a result. Every year many new product variations arrive on the market, but introducing a completely new type of vegetable to consumers is even more difficult. Put another way, we first had to teach people to accept a new food product
How has the FLIA affected your business?
AA: As a marketing instrument, the FLIA definitely helped us to attract new customers who had never seen Zucchiolo before, let alone tried it – including retailers we had not worked with before. Farmers and leading chefs worldwide approached us about Zucchiolo. And naturally, we placed FLIA prominently on the packaging and Unica’s head office. It spreads the message and makes us trustworthy, as it is a prestigious award from an independent jury – the trade visitors at the show. Demand was overwhelming
Would you say innovating in the fruit trade is worthwhile?
AA: Unfortunately, agribusiness is an industry that relies heavily on tradition and is often content with the status quo. However, we face challenges that require innovation – competition from third countries, labour shortages and talent retention. And there is a growing consumer market that is constantly on the lookout for new ideas to bring fresh inspiration to food – be it new flavours, colours, shapes or ingredients… who doesn’t want to have fun cooking, given the chance?
