The Christmas countdown is underway and with just six weeks left until Santa comes down the chimney, those involved with some of the most popular Christmas lines - and putting that all-important dinner on the table - are rolling up their sleeves for what could be one of the most challenging periods they have seen for some years.
Speculation is mounting about how much consumers will set aside for food shopping and, at the same time, all eyes are on the retailers to see what promotional offers they will introduce to pull in shoppers, leaving growers and suppliers fearing that this will come at their expense.
However, those who provide festive produce lines including Brussels sprouts, citrus, cranberries and dates are pulling out all the stops to supply high-quality product in the right volumes and, crucially, at the right time.
Sprouting ideas
Home-grown Brussels sprouts got off to a good start in late September, but early volumes have been hit by dry conditions that caused a 10-14-day delay to the start of the season. Both growers and suppliers have been disappointed that initial demand has been slow to take off.
However, some 40,000 tonnes of Brussels sprouts are produced every year by British growers and the product has continued to hold its own as a must-have for Christmas dinner.
Abacus continues to be a strong early variety, while the likes of Maximus, Helemus and Cumulus are still proving favourites in the run-up to Christmas. Crispus and Cronus, both clubroot-resistant varieties, are also growing in popularity.
Some of the newer varieties to look out for include Cobus for November or early December, which has shown impressive results in small commercial trials, as well as Aurelius for December, which is strong against lodging.
At the same time, sprout trees have continued to find favour, offering good value for money as shelf life is increased when taken home.
Roger Welberry of the British Sprout Growers’ Association says that despite the initial shortfall this season, producers and suppliers will be able to fulfil their orders to the major retailers. “The plants have not grown as high as they might have, but the quality of the crop is actually very good,” he says. “But growers are producing about six to eight tonnes per acre, rather than the 8-10t they achieved last year. This will not necessarily make much of an impact on the market and I doubt consumers would know there is a shortage.
“However, I doubt we will be getting more money this year, even though I would like to think so. The last thing growers want is anything less than what they already get, especially as seed costs have risen 20 per cent this year and the minimum wage has increased to make labour more expense. The returns we get are only just right and with yields going down, we won’t want anything less.”
Mike Molyneux, product specialist at Syngenta, confirms that it has been a challenging time for growers because prices were affected by poor demand for early product. However, he says the situation is likely to improve and the sector is expecting the usual spike in demand in the run-up to Christmas. “There has been a small increase [in price], since demand has increased slightly,” says Molyneux. “However, the price is still relatively low. Producers are hopeful of the traditional Christmas boom in demand.”
These challenges have not stopped the sector from innovating to make the most of its offer, both from a grower and consumer perspective. The constant search for improved varieties is considered essential in the long-term prosperity of the category.
“Syngenta is rapidly developing disease resistances, to lead to reduced chemical applications and improve sprout plant health in general,” says Molyneux. “We have succeeded, for example, to introduce a high level of clubroot resistance in Brussels sprout varieties, and this is being rolled out throughout the entire range as a drive to have the security covering the full production time.
“At the same time, Syngenta is trying to get more insight from consumers,” he continues. “We are conducting consumer tasting in the UK, Italy and Germany and the results show that reluctance to consume Brussels sprouts is mainly due to their bitter taste. Trying to match consumer needs, Syngenta has been working for the last 10-15 years to develop mild-tasting varieties.
“We are also working on more initiatives with the channel in order to share our insights. For example, we have discovered that preparation is playing an important role in Brussels sprouts’ taste, because when they are cooked for over eight minutes, they develop a strong bitter taste.”
One of the priorities for the Brussels sprouts sector is to promote the vegetable in its traditional prime time at the height of the festive period, as well as extend interest in the category and encourage consumers to see the Christmas favourite as an everyday vegetable that can be prepared and cooked in a number of creative ways.
Pam Lloyd PR is co-ordinating a £5,000 consumer campaign for Brussels sprouts in the lead-up to Christmas, based on getting new recipe ideas out to the public to educate consumers about the many different ways in which they can be enjoyed, both at Christmas and throughout the year.
These aims are echoed on the ground by growers and suppliers, who are seeking to capitalise on the Christmas boost - but not at the expense of sales throughout the rest of the year.
Phillip Effingham, director of farming and agronomic development at Marshalls, insists that consumption can be boosted with a more forward-thinking approach. “Consumers are looking for more inspiration about how to use sprouts and move away from the old image of a smelly, boiled-to-death vegetable,” he says. “They want inspirational recipe ideas that also incorporate making sprouts more appealing to children. Sprout varieties have been developed over the years to deliver a sweeter, nuttier flavour and consumers need to appreciate and understand this through on-pack and point-of-sale messaging.
“Consumer research has assisted us in our decision-making processes regarding marketing activities. It helps us to understand the consumer’s key motivators for purchasing sprouts and sprout trees and, in turn, we have a better understanding of their need for price and promotions, as well as in-store activities that can drive sales and consumption.”
Citrus stocking fillers
The Christmas market for citrus will shape up over the next few weeks, as growers and exporters choose the markets for their fruit based on the exchange rate and returns. On the whole, supply and demand is expected to remain fairly constant in the run-up to Christmas, with a number of sources supplying the UK market at any one time.
Marius du Plessis, general manager of Israeli citrus specialist MTEX UK, is looking forward to some new developments in the citrus market this winter. This, he says, should keep fruit moving throughout the festive period, when citrus traditionally comes into its own. “We will have increased volumes of Orri clementines and a few new grapefruit and clementine varieties will be exciting this season,” says du Plessis. “This, along with the well known Suntina and Shamouti, will delight British consumers during and after Christmas.
“The shekel is still strong and along with the weaker sterling, we are in the same situation as last season, but we have survived and we will again,” he insists. “All of us hope that the recession is at a turning point and that the upturn in the economy will reflect in retail sales - but what the last 18 months has brought is a return of spending to basic and healthy food products, so we hope this will continue through the revival.”
Turkish citrus has got off to a good start this year and both growers and exporters are said to be enjoying something of a turnaround and getting good money for their produce, following a “miserable” season last year. This time around, high demands and good returns have put smiles on faces.
Evren Huner, who works in sales and marketing at Aksun, is confident that trade will pick up this year. “Demand for large-sized lemons and grapefruit in particular has been very pleasing,” he says. “We are also getting plenty of enquiries for satsumas, which we will be starting in a week’s time. I can say we have been in a better position in terms of exports compared to previous seasons. We are expecting to go over the 20,000-tonne barrier with products like lemons, grapefruit, satsumas, minneolas and oranges.
“Importers are paying what exporters are asking for; therefore, growers are getting the money they are looking for,” he continues. “I think the effects of the financial crisis are easing off and people are spending again, especially on food. The quality of Turkish produce is now recognised by many and I am expecting demand to continue prior to Christmas, when grapefruit, satsumas, easy peelers and oranges should continue to have high demand.”
Double date
Demand for both Medjoul and fresh dates continues to edge upwards every year, with Christmas and Ramadan peak times in the supply calendar. This year, growers and exporters are predicting that supply and demand will be in line with last year.
Israeli firm Agrexco supplies dates all year round and sales traditionally build over the festive period. Oded Yacovson, general manager of Agrexco UK, says the same volumes will be produced in Israel this year, but the exporter is expecting its share to increase by 30 per cent.
“Medjoul is the most popular variety, with exports remaining the same as last year,” he says. “However, the one to watch out for this year will be ‘perfectly ripe’ Medjoul, which should prove popular.”
Saucy side
The most popular fruit accompaniment to the traditional turkey is likely to step up a notch this year, with orders on the up and supermarkets keen to promote cranberries throughout the festive period.
Sales began in the first week of November, with the fastest movement expected in weeks 50-52.
Lee Marshall, procurement executive at JO Sims, says the volume plan from the US and Canada is expected to remain in line with last year, while demand for polybags is up five per cent. He expects the market to shape up with a strong December push, as usual, especially on punneted fruit sold by the major retailers.
“Significant rainfall during the growing season from June to August has impacted the quantity of cranberries harvested in Massachusetts and Quebec,” says Marshall. “However, there have been no supply issues from the growing areas that are GlobalGAP-certified. Ocean Spray has three growing regions - Quebec, Wisconsin and Washington - that protect against an issue with supply from any one region.”
The market for fresh cranberries is growing as the supermarkets continue to push and promote the product, with sales forecasts in for a boost, in line with a slight increase in availability. Across the board, growers and exporters are expecting a strong, consistent season, with quality expected to remain high throughout the season.
No comments yet