Premium brassica brand Tenderstem notched up record sales in August 2018, with volumes up 16 per cent compared to the same month last year.
Having sold over 10 million kg of Tenderstem in 2017 – a first for the brand – the broccoli-Chinese kale hybrid has continued to perform strongly throughout 2018.
The sales rise comes despite challenging growing conditions this year, with extreme cold at the start of the spring, followed by prolonged drought and periods of intense heat, putting brassica growers under great pressure.
The encouraging sales figures coincide with an increase in awareness of the brand, which edged up from 38 per cent of shoppers to 40 per cent in 2017, according to an Ipsos Omnibus survey.
Tenderstem said this was partly down to an advertising campaign it launched this year, which encouraged consumers to be more adventurous when cooking the brassica.
With the tag line “make every dish a little adventure”, the campaign spanned social media, PR and digital advertising. Tenderstem also partnered with chef and cookbook writer Meera Sodha to create three recipes for the brand, each using the brassica as a key ingredient.
Theresa Richards, marketing manager at Coregeo, said: “Undoubtedly, it has been difficult for brassica growers this year, yet despite this, Tenderstem has triumphed and continued to increase volume.
“We’ve also worked hard to develop the product range, and this year, for the first time, Tenderstem is available both fresh and frozen.”
Richards was referring to thelaunch of frozen Tenderstem at Icelandin January after almost ten years in product development.
