The strawberry sector has seen phenomenal growth in recent years, rising steadily up the charts to become the fifth best-selling fruit or vegetable in the FPJ Big 50 Products with annual sales of £576.8 million last year.
How to take that success forward in a new, ever more competitive era was a key topic at the recent International Strawberry Congress in Antwerp, Belgium, with the focus squarely fixed on the interaction between industry and consumer. Experts from science, industry, marketing and retail gave presentations on how the sector can evolve and take advantage of modern trends to stay ahead of the game.
Involve the consumer
Kevin Folta, professor and chairman of the horticultural sciences department at the University of Florida, spoke of the need for consumer-assisted selection and getting end-user input into new varieties. He stressed that the production industry generally is “very good at talking to each other but not so good at talking to the public” and where approaches such as genetic marker technology are used, their benefits should be properly explained to the public. “The problem is people have questions about food and farming but don’t know who to trust,” he said. “Good technology is being developed but not used. We shouldn’t talk about facts and statistics, but the value of science to the industry. We should talk about why we do things rather than how. Take every opportunity to engage consumers as non-experts are telling our story and experts are not.”
The Robots are coming
Trendwatcher and futurist Richard van Hooijdonk raised eyebrows when he revealed that he has injected an RFID chip into his body and is now essentially living as a part of the Internet of Things.
He predicted that all productive, repetitive agricultural tasks such as crop picking and packing will be taken over by robots in the coming years, even going as far as saying that children in 2035 will be augmented with microchips implanted in their brains.
For the food industry, he suggested that genetically modified fruit and veg will become the norm and that scientists will be able to create great-tasting artificial meat and fresh produce to help solve the global food shortage.
Speaking about business, van Hooijdonk said the lifespan of an organisation had dropped from 70 years to just 12 and companies need to change and adapt faster, employing forward-thinking and “disruptive” managers who can keep the company relevant for the future.
“In times of uncertainty, companies must invest their whole profits in new technology,” he added. “And if you don’t have the money, get venture capitalists into your business.”
Getting noticed in a crowded market
How do you stand out in a supermarket when less than one per cent of all available SKUs are typically bought by a consumer in the course of the year? That was the question posed by Wim Hamaekers, managing partner at Haystack, who has focused his research on capturing the attention of the unconscious shopper.
“If people are focused on looking for something in particular, they won’t see 90 per cent of other things,” he said, pointing out that shopping on ‘autopilot’ had led to a proliferation of copycat brands.
Hamaekers (above) said studies showed that people make purchasing decisions firstly on the basis of colour, then shapes, numbers and only lastly words on pack.
He suggested that with attention spans shorter than ever, brands should stand out by picking different colours to rivals on the same shelf, while being located at arm level was much more advantageous than being at the top or bottom of the cabinet.
Some 80 per cent of shoppers only read the front of packs, suggesting some opportunity for fresh produce to do more in that area.
How to win friends and influence people
Author and expert in influential marketing Carole Lamarque (below) stressed the importance of using social media to get to consumers. In particular, she said companies should identify online ‘influencers’ – bloggers, celebrities and others with sizeable, relevant social media followings – to target to get strawberries and brands into the public’s eye.
Building connections with these people can have a profound effect on sales, said Lamarque. “If you have the [financial] power, then please do get a celebrity on board,” she added. “But even if you don’t, try to find your own influencers, and build a relationship with these people.”
Companies should even put somebody in charge of compiling a list of the leading 100 influencers most relevant to their business, she suggested.
A fresh approach to dining out
US fresh food restaurant chain Freshii is to open in the UK, it was revealed at the conference, offering new opportunities for local suppliers.
The healthy fast-food chain, whose fresh produce-heavy menu has won it fans and investors across the US, has experienced rapid growth since its launch in 2005. Freshii has already expanded to 80 cities in 18 countries across North and South America, Africa, Europe and Australia. It has 10 stores in Ireland and plans to open another six by the end of the year, but until now has been absent from the UK.
However, founder Matthew Corrin (below) revealed at the congress that Freshii will be opening its first three stores in London this autumn, working with the group that brought Starbucks to the UK.
Corrin added that Freshii’s franchise model enables it to expand organically by word of mouth, with the company typically receiving around 3,000 franchise applications every month. That could lead to further expansion across Europe, where it is currently only located in Ireland, Austria and Sweden.
Corrin described Freshii’s aim as to “constantly stay on the cutting edge of health and wellness.” He explained: “Ten years ago healthy was a salad concept, and 20 years ago it was about not being a burger, fry and pizza joint. What people realise now is healthy is good fats like avocado and walnuts, and good oils, slow-burning carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits and tonnes of bright colours. The game has changed.”
Statistically speaking
Philippe Binard (below), general delegate at Freshfel Europe, outlined some key statistics about the European strawberry market.
Spain is the largest producer in the EU with 300,000 tonnes, with Poland producing 200,000t and Germany 170,000t. The UK is fifth, growing some 104,000t.
Strawberries represent 3.5 per cent of EU fresh fruit production, and 60 per cent of the union’s overall berry production. European strawberry production is 110,000ha, with Poland making up 47 per cent of this area but only accounting for 16 per cent of EU production.
There is 450,000t of intra-EU trade on the product, worth close to €1 billion – Germany imports the most, followed by France and the UK. Spain is the dominant supplier.
The leading outside supplier of strawberries into the EU market is Morocco with 17,000t, while Egypt exports 7,000t to the bloc and Tunisia 2,500t. The US exports 900t, mostly to the UK.
