Fresh produce's brand masters

Pink Lady

With value sales more than double that of the next largest produce brand, Pink Lady has successfully positioned itself as a premium snack, with high-profile marketing across consumer health and lifestyle channels. Headline sponsorships of events such as London Marathon and the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year are crucial aspects of the brand’s marketing calendar, with newer additions including a ‘Get your snack on’ illustration concept portraying the ‘party’ in a mouth from the first bite of an apple. This year has also seen the introduction of YouTube and Gmail pre-roll advertising, says master licensor Coregeo’s Michelle Toft. “Our USP is that Pink Lady is not seen as a virtuous snack, it’s enjoyable and it has that treat element. We see ourselves as a lifestyle brand,” she says. With new tie-ups with both the Great Fruit Adventure and the Guild of Food Writers’ children’s competition, and consistent marketing outside of the produce sector, this is one brand powering into the future.

Florette

As one of the best-known and most visible brands in the fresh produce aisle, Florette occupies a unique position among a sea of own label. With annual sales of £62 million and a £2.5m marketing budget that this year is focused on an Always Made With Sunshine message, it looks set to be a vintage year – especially if the weather holds up. “Florette is pioneering progress in the sector and has seen an increase of 4.4 per cent in sales this year, in line with the market,” says marketing and innovation controller Hazel Clark. “By driving growth through insight, innovation and communication, the brand offers shoppers who are hungry for new ideas and exciting products an opportunity to challenge their habitual approaches to salad.” The brand held up well through the recent supply crisis, she adds, thanks to “an extensive network of owned farms and integrated supply chain.” Florette is also now expanding into new products such as slaws and beetroot.

Jazz

Jazz apples are currently worth £42 million at retail, according to UK marketer Worldwide Fruit, up 26 per cent year on year. Promotion this year will focus on three primary areas: online and social media, the Jazz Apple Foundation and high-profile tasting shows including BBC Good Food at Birmingham’s NEC, and European fitness and nutrition show BodyPower. CEO Steve Maxwell says the ambition is to continue sales growth, reach new consumers and grow market share, while the refreshed Jazz logo and branding, unveiled at this year’s Fruit Logistica, are being rolled out across channels. Increased plantings of Jazz across Europe will continue to boost availability behind a comprehensive and international marketing campaign.

Jaffa

The famous Jaffa brand might only be concentrated in one store, but when that store has nearly 30 per cent of the market that means significant sales figures. Stocked year round, Jaffa is one of the most visible brands on the shelf, and the popularity of easy peelers with children gives it a universal appeal that most products can only dream of. Tapping into the minds of the younger generation further, Jaffa has launched a healthy eating campaign centred on healthy diets, which features Olympic champion swimmer Rebecca Adlington. Explaining the move, Jaffa’s Lorna Norrington says: “It has long been known that young people’s food preferences and intakes are cause for concern. We have set out to see what difference we as a brand can do to influence change in diet, primarily throughout children, but also resonating with adults.”

Albert Bartlett

Despite the challenges of convincing retailers of the need for branding in potatoes, Albert Bartlett’s eponymous brand continues to resonate. In March, the company brought back Purple Majesty into its range in Ocado and Whole Foods, while the winter saw two new year-round varieties – Elfe and Apache – rolled out into its branded range in Waitrose. The company has also been making major inroads into the frozen sector after buying up a former Aunt Bessie’s factory in Norfolk, and that’s paying dividends with the launch of frozen Rooster roast potatoes. Albert Bartlett’s fondness of a Hollywood tie-up most recently manifested itself through its sponsorship of Matt Damon movie The Martian, and having previously linked up with the likes of actress Marcia Cross, expect further eye-catching marketing moves as the Scottish grower continues to keep its brand centre stage.

Tenderstem

This year’s Tenderstem campaign has returned to a strong focus on recipes and home cooking, with a new frontman in Irish food writer and TV personality Donal Skehan. The branded brassica continues to see double-digit growth, and boasts a strong presence across both multiple retail and foodservice. “The wholesale and catering channel is so important for Tenderstem – it’s seen massive growth in those areas,” says Coregeo’s Michelle Toft. “We want to encourage chefs to put veg in the centre of a plate, as very often it’s on the side.” This year the campaign will include six lighthearted Tenderstem videos promoted via YouTube and Gmail advertising, as well as a media visit to a Tenderstem farm in Jersey, supported by a consumer competition. Retailer support for Tenderstem continues to grow, says Toft, but there is room for more. “We spend all this money above the line on the brand, now customers just need to be able to find it in store,” she adds.

The best of the rest...

Fresh & Naked

Born in 2010, G’s describes its premium salad brand as “a fun vehicle for testing different things”. In the past, the company has trialled various products such as ambient salad products, herbs, living lettuce, and even a chia seed sachet giveaway, but the range’s heartland is baby leaf. Centred around seven lines, Fresh & Naked is listed in Ocado and Tesco and has a retail sales value of around £15 million. G’s continues to invest across all its brands, including fast-growing organic label O’Live and Love Beets.

Kanzi

Owned by Belgian marketer GKE NV and marketed by Adrian Scripps in the UK, Kanzi has unveiled a new ‘cheeky’ approach to promotion, based around the Kanzi Man, perhaps also a nod to the successful gendering of Pink Lady. Focusing on lifestyle and enjoyment, the campaign includes censored and uncensored versions of videos featuring the Kanzi Man, which is used to drive traffic to the website where people can watch the uncensored version.

Steve’s Leaves

Another successful salad brand, Steve’s Leaves says it targets “people who like to try unusual variations of salad leaves or herbs that they already know”. Last year, it launched a Confetti Coriander salad for the summer and has had success with wasabi rocket, red rocket and fennel tops. New for this year is a tie-up with MasterChef finalists Jack Layer and Billy Wright for National Vegetarian Week, and sponsorship of Sparsholt College’s stand at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Persimon

Launched in response to a growing influx of non-branded persimmon to the market, Persimon represents Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) fruit from the Ribera del Xúquer region of Spain. A new campaign launched this year is working with select Spanish restaurants, as well as social media, to highlight the value of PDO Persimon.

Kalettes

The Tozer Seeds-owned Kalettes has seen sales double in the UK over the past year thanks to increased production and a new marketing campaign. Following a rebrand to better reflect its fashionable kale heritage, in the past year Kalettes has worked to boost its profile among food influencers and bloggers. As a seasonal product, marketing peaks around October for the start of the season, while the UK campaign is backed up by a growing international presence in the US and Europe.

Fyffes

One of the best-known brands in produce, last year Fyffes embarked on a major international “brand enhancement programme” to engage consumers with its long heritage, and boost its profile in new markets. Under the strapline ‘Fyffes Discover More’, the campaign debuted with a series of television adverts to promote its heritage, blending footage of the 1920s with modern-day scenes.

BerryWorld

Listed at Ocado and Amazon Fresh, BerryWorld’s new consumer-facing brand has already made waves in its first year. Brand visuals are designed to reflect the evolving cycles of nature and the abstract form of a berry, while PR has focused on foodservice and food influencers, via social media and media cookery events co-ordinated by agency PamLloyd PR.

Zespri

Kiwifruit brand Zespri has big ambitions for the UK, where it aims to triple sales of SunGold over the next five years. As well as a consumer-facing campaign, marketing manager Jayne Chamberlain says distribution is key. “We have a presence in all key retailers,” she says. “However, there are still significant opportunities to extend to all store formats. Our programme supports retailers by building demand to increase sales.”