Canary Islands promotional push

Canary Islands producers are offering consumers the opportunity to claim a free recipe book with tomato purchases.

More than 500,000 promotion packs of Canary Island tomatoes will be carrying vouchers for the hardback recipe book, worth £14.99. Customers need to collect three tokens to claim a free copy.

The campaign aims to drive sales of the promoted packs as well as encourage increased consumption by demonstrating the versatility of the common tomato.

María José Sevilla, director of Foods from Spain said: “This year we are investing heavily in both consumer and trade advertising for Canary Island tomatoes, including a national campaign in major consumer magazines, including OK and Delicious.

“We are also working closely with two UK retailers to launch our latest promotional campaign, which includes, an on-pack promotion for a free hardback ‘Tomato’ recipe book, by Christine France, as well as a national poster campaign.”

The book features more than 160 step-by-step recipes, which Sevilla said encompasses every aspect of the tomato from its history and its many varieties to the multitude of ways to cook and eat it.

A second part of the promotional campaign in early 2006 will have strong links to holidays in the Canary Islands, giving Spanish tomato consumers the opportunity to win breaks.

Producers in the Canary Islands are reported to have a good high-quality crop this season and expect to export more than 205,000 tonnes of tomatoes to Europe, with 45 per cent of exports coming to the UK alone.