Sunkist growers, which withdrew from the European fresh produce market in the 1980s, is hoping to re-establish its Sunkist brand in the UK.
The brand, which has adorned Californian citrus for 98 years, was once one of the better recognised in European fresh produce aisles, and consumer research carried out in Germany and the UK recently revealed a remarkable 80 per cent awareness of the brand, despite its disappearance from the supermarket shelves nearly 20 years ago.
Jeff Gargiulo, president and ceo of Sunkist Growers (pictured), told FPJ: “We got out of the European markets when the tariff on lemons became too punitive. But we think it’s time to move forward again, the status quo is not acceptable to us.
“We see the UK market as important, the supermarkets are obviously very own-brand driven, but Sunkist is Sunkist, it’s a huge brand with value to offer, and we will have a strategy in place to reintroduce it in the next six months.”
As retailers globalise, the potential benefit of the Sunkist brand to their produce departments is being more clearly understood, he said, claiming that a number of retailers have also shown an interest in working with the company in Europe. While awareness of the brand name is high, he admitted that consumers were not able to distinguish as easily what the brand stood for.
But Gargiulo said his company has a “broader vision”, for its brand, as well as its growers. “It’s all about alignment - aligning Sunkist growers and packers with our customers and end consumers,” he explained.
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