Agrexco fruit and vegetable growers are renowned for their niche lines, many of which are commonplace among imports into the UK from the Middle Eastern country. And Agrexco is taking this innovation one step further by extending its Carmel brand, bringing some of its most innovative lines under the Carmel Innovation range instead.
Rani Friedlander, vice-president of the produce group at Agrexco, has been instrumental in creating the extended branding. “Carmel Innovation is a long-term concept,” he explains. “Over the years, especially the last few, we have been investing money, effort and knowledge into innovation. Agrexco is the leader in this in Israel, but innovation can cover so many subjects - packaging, varieties, healthy eating, organics, etc. Working hand in hand with Agrexco growers and R&D institutes, employing cutting-edge agro-technology, we have developed extra-tasty new varieties and new types of packaging, as well as novel fruit and vegetable varieties with extra health benefits, meeting today’s healthy lifestyle.
“In Israel, our innovative approach is one of the biggest advantages we can offer. The Carmel Innovation concept means new ideas to complement our wide range of unique products. It is not a different brand to Carmel, but simply bringing our innovation lines under the Carmel brand. We want to publicise these innovations to our customers, buyers and importers, and bring these products to the shelves of our end users in the best possible way.
“In the last two to three months, we have presented these lines to our customers and they have all found a line that suits them,” says Friedlander.
The timing of the launch is very important, he explains, with speculation rife that the global economic crisis has sent all consumers scuttling back to the basics aisle. “At Agrexco, we still believe that the customer will buy and repurchase products only if the appearance, taste, packaging and range are right,” says Friedlander.
Certain lines under the Carmel Innovation umbrella are already available in the UK, including mangoes, plums, pomegranates, peppers and tomatoes, among others.
Highlights of the new range include the Personal Pomegranate, a gift pack with an individual fruit wrapped in a pomegranate “purse”, available from mid-October until the end of January.
Shrink-wrapped peppers are another line in the range, available from November until April. The peppers are packed in an extra-clear shrink-wrap that is environment-friendly and degradable. This was an idea that Agrexco tested last season and found to be beneficial for its end customers. “Commercial quantities will be available this season,” says Friedlander. “This was an idea that came about because we had been using the same packaging for peppers for far too long. The new shrink-wrapped peppers are easier to handle, more transparent and give the salads a longer shelf life. They are also more aesthetic than other pepper packs.”
Other pepper products in the Carmel Innovation range include Sweet Bite peppers from October to June, as well as Cony and Evergreen peppers.
“The Evergreen pepper is a new variety that stays green, so that it can be offered to the customer ripe and tastier than the usual green pepper, which is served unripe before turning red,” says Friedlander.
Tango cherry tomatoes are available in a punnet of mixed red and yellow fruit from December to April, and Organic Tango tomatoes will also be available. A Trio pack of mini tomato varieties also falls under the range - red cherry, yellow cherry and mini plum fruits, with organic alternatives also available, all from December to April.
The Circus tomato pack is a medley of four to five round and elongated red, orange and yellow San Marzano, mini plum and cherry tomatoes.
The Tropical tomato range of 12-14 deep-red, medium-sized cherry tomatoes on the vine is available from October to May, exclusively from Agrexco.
Agrexco’s Yuval and Orly strawberries are in season from mid-November to mid-March, and were exclusively developed for Carmel by Fertiseeds. “The ideas we are talking about are things we want to see materialise in the next few months, not just in the next few years,” says Friedlander. “For example, our strawberry varieties Yuval and Orly were bred by Fertiseeds, and now Fertiseeds and Agrexco have an exclusive breeding programme [announced last week] to develop the next generation of high-quality strawberries.”
Tree-ripened, ready-to-eat mango is on the shelves from mid-July to the end of August, explains Friedlander, while exclusive apricot varieties from Carmel Innovation include red, purple or black-skinned fruit with orange or yellow flesh, available from the end of May to the end of June. The Lamoon plum is another stonefruit line in the range, with a later season from the end of June to the end of September.
Many Carmel Innovation lines offer added health properties, including ready-peeled pomegranate arils, or pomegranate rubies. “Pomegranates are the ideal fruit - other than the fact that they are difficult to peel,” says Friedlander. “Pomegranate arils are a popular product and one from which we expect good results. We have been working on this line for a few years already and are confident that it will remain a good product for us.”
The Carmel Innovation plumgranate is a plum variety offering more antioxidants than pomegranates and red wine.
Not all the lines in the range are available in the UK, but Friedlander maintains that products such as strawberries and plums are top sellers in the UK market, along with some of the different tomato packs. “If you look at cherry tomatoes and the different combination packs, these were popular in the UK in the last year, as well as in Scandinavia and the rest of Europe,” he explains.
The Carmel Innovation brand is simply a case of giving a name to what the company has been working on behind the scenes for the last 10-15 years, explains Friedlander. “These are not totally new products. This is about taking Agrexco’s existing products under the Carmel brand and improving the various factors involved. We never stop innovating, despite all the talk at the moment of price points and efficiencies. Agrexco’s innovative work with the Volcani Institute [the country’s leading R&D institute] and the growers will continue.”
Due to Israel’s distance from some of its major markets, competing on the core lines is not feasible most of the time, says Friedlander, making innovation crucial. “There are countries that are closer to their core markets and have lower labour costs,” he explains. “In the past, for example, Israel was one of the biggest growers of iceberg lettuce and celery - but now we focus on niche, specialist lines. After all, every niche line will be a core line of the future.”
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