Berries

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Berries in one in four UK shopping baskets over summer

More than one in four shopping baskets sold by mySupermarket in the UK had berries in them last May–August. The average of nearly 26% for those warmer months – up from about 18.5% over twelve months – shows the seasonal nature of berry consumption.

More than one in four shopping baskets sold by mySupermarket in the UK had berries in them last May–August.
The average of nearly 26% for those warmer months – up from about 18.5% over twelve months – shows the seasonal nature of berry consumption.
Sales of organic berries were consistent with this spike. From January–November last year, just 0.61% of all shopping baskets contained organic berries but this rose to an average of 0.81% for May–August, though the vast majority of berries sold were still conventional.
The berries included in the data were strawberries, assorted berries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries and all were sold pre-packed.
The data came from mySupermarket.co.uk, which said it is derived from its about 50,000 monthly shoppers.

Berry sales up in UK

Retail sales of fresh berries have risen 11% in both value and volume in the UK, Kantar Worldpanel data shows.

Figures for the 52 weeks to December 7 show total sales of nearly £893.4 million, up from just over £803,4 million for the same period the previous year. A total of 150,781 tons of berries were sold, up from 135,674 tons.
 

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Read more berry news on pages 104-111 of edition 135 of Eurofresh Distribution magazine.
 

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Infographic Highlights Benefits of Berries

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Which berry can help reduce cholesterol and which one is rich in folic acid? What are the seasons for the different berries and what are their calorie counts?

The answers to these questions and many other interesting details about berries are in a new shareable infographic from Huelva Inteligente.

Based in Huelva, the origin of 95% of Spain’s berry exports, the digital marketing experts have provided an easy-to-digest summary of the kind of information shared recently at the Fresh&Life berry symposium in Madrid.

 

 

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Royal and Ideal Fruits Sign Blueberry Distribution Deal

Acuerdo Royal_Ideal Fruits

 

Strategy to increase sales to Spanish supermarkets

 

Seville-based soft fruit grower and marketer SAT Royal now holds exclusive Spanish distribution rights to Ideal Fruits’ blueberry production.

A berry specialist located in the Spanish province of Segovia, Ideal Fruits SL and Royal reached the agreement last month during the Fruit Attraction fair in Madrid.

In a statement, Royal said the partnership was based on the companies’ mutual commitment to increasing their supplies to Spanish supermarkets and to excellence in their products and customer service.

Ideal Fruits manager David Muñoz and Royal president José Gandía said consistent quality and good taste are the only ways to satisfy consumers – criteria met in Royal’s exclusive blueberry varieties Blue Aroma and Royal Blue and its other new varieties in development.

 

 

 

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US Expert Says Consumers Want Easy to Eat Fruit

José Chaparro with Mary Ann Lila and José Gandía Giner at the Fresh & Life symposium

What does today’s consumer want from fruit? University of Florida associate professor José Chaparro says it’s user friendliness.

 

Speaking on Tuesday in Madrid on the first day of the Fresh & Life symposium on berries – within the framework of the Fruit Attraction fair – the horticultural expert said this means fruit that:

  • is easy to peel and seedless

  • of an appropriate serving size

  • doesn’t leave you with sticky or dirty hands or with things you need to find a bin for, such as seeds.

 

Displaying USDA data showing a drop-off in per capita consumption of various kinds of larger fruit in the US since 1980, Chaparro said that in the case of oranges, the reasons behind this include that consumers find them too big to eat all at once and that they can tend to be bitter.

 

Meanwhile, there’s been an “incredible increase” in consumption of small, easy to eat fruit, he said. In the case of grapes, the availability of seedless varieties saw per capita consumption double in the US at the end of the 1980s. There has also been a considerable rise in demand for blueberries, strawberries and raspberries – all easy to eat fruit that either have small seeds or none at all, don’t require peeling and are available in small servings, he said.

 

Diversification crucial

 

Modern methods are such that these days there are many kinds of fruit that can be eaten year-round, “but the quality isn’t consistent and the result is consumers are not satisfied,” Chaparro said. Instead, people need to be able to trust that the fruit they know will be as they expect 365 days a year. “But what kinds of fruit can you say that about? Very few,” he said.

 

Among Chaparro’s recommendations is that the fruit sector seek diversity not just in the types of fruit available but in qualities that make them stand out, such as the colour of skin or flesh (helping consumer to distinguish between products), new flavours and improved nutritional value.

 

And increasingly important is choosing plants that can cope with climate change, namely those that adapt more readily to factors such as high temperatures and spring frosts, he said.

 

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Alternative crops increasing says Freshuelva

BERRIES spain FRESHUELVA

According to Freshuelva’s data, in 2014 there will be a significant shift in the figures for complementary alternative crops produced by Andalusian farmers, such as raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Raspberries rose by 15% and something similar has happened in the case of the other two, whose main markets are Central Europe, the UK, Germany and even the United Arab Emirates. “This is because growers in Huelva have begun to make a commitment to them over the last 3 years. For this reason, we have been backing them with international promotional activities to get people to know them better in international fairs like Fruit Logistica in Berlin and Fruit Attraction in Madrid, as well as through campaigns aimed at the end consumer,” said the director of Freshuelva. He highlighted the important work being done by the producers in Huelva in terms of sustainability—specific actions that are compatible with the environment by using new techniques for treatment with insects for pollination and pest control, energy savings, waste reduction, automation of irrigation etc.

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Far East focus for Mexico berries

For Mexican soft fruit association Aneberries, 2014 has become a crucially important year in its development as the group seeks to gain access to China

For a great many companies in the fresh produce sector, China has assumed something of the allure of a Holy Grail of export destinations, with a potential market of 1.35 billion people an enticing prospect for any producer, even excepting the huge distances often involved. This is no less the case for Mexico’s soft fruit growers, where national association Aneberries – whose members account for around 75% of total berry annual export volumes – has for some time been actively seeking entry to the Chinese market. The only problem is the lack of an export protocol for soft fruit between the Latin American nation and China, meaning that – as is the case with many other sectors – exports can only be achieved through Hong Kong, in other words, not officially. However, all that could be about to change with the visit of inspectors from China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) to Mexico’s berry production heartland in the states of Jalisco and Michoacán. During the visit, which took place between 24 February and 3 March, AQSIQ officials toured a total of nine berry production sites and three packhouses, with a particular focus on blackberries and raspberries. In a hugely heartening statement for the Mexican berry sector through Mexico’s department of agriculture (Sagarpa), AQSIQ Safety Division official Feng Chunguang said that a phytosanitary agreement for exports of both products could realistically be completed before the end of 2014. If this is achieved, Mexico also hopes to achieve access for blueberries in 2015. If all goes to plan, the expectation is that Mexican president Peña Nieto will sign an agreement to enable access for blackberries to China during a scheduled visit to the country in October, explains Aneberries president Mario Andrade.
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St. Orsola improves long-distance logistics

BERRIES italy santa orsola

Santa Orsola has launched the campaign in March. The leading Italian forest fruit farming co-operative hopes this season will be better than last year’s, which had a later start, with unstable volumes, a saturated market and irregular prices.  The new business strategies for 2014 are to boost the international export share, encouraging penetration into China, Dubai and Eastern Europe.  “Getting into these new markets will create a balance in our exportable range. Previously, most of our blueberries were destined for domestic consumption in Italy, but for 2 years now we’ve been exporting to Russia, which now takes up 10% of our supply. The key to our success in Russia is that we have created excellent logistic solutions for transporting refrigerated cargo over long distances. And we hope to repeat this positive experience in other countries”, adds Director Matteo Bertolini. In addition, as the new feature for this year, he announced they will be launching a new packaging for blueberries in 65 g format instead of the traditional 125 g punnet.  

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Bionest renews BioDeliss brand image

BERRIES bionest

Bionest, organic strawberry production leaders in Andalusia, are giving their BioDeliss brand a new focus in the campaign for 2014. They are renewing the brand image, targeting a new market segment: the final consumer. “The BioDeliss brand has been out there for years, but it was aimed at wholesalers and retailers. The new marketing strategies we plan to develop will focus on the consumer, seeking out that naturist niche of people who go to the supermarket or local shops looking for organic products and appreciate the high value of our organic fruit”, states Thomas Cera. 

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Fresón de Palos – Spain’s best-known brand

freson de palos

Fresón de Palos has a leading share in large-scale distribution lines in Spain. Their high production volumes allow them to reach other major European markets with solid guarantees.  Fresón de Palos was recently chosen as the most well-known brand requested by Spanish consumers, according to surveys carried out on 19,000 real shoppers in 2013. “It’s an acknowledgement that reaffirms our commitment to doing things well”, says Jaime Záforas.  The sector in general exports more than 80%, whereas the figure for Fresón de Palos is usually less than 60% of its 72,000 tn. Countries receiving their fruit are mainly in Central Europe, such as Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Portugal, and to a lesser extent Poland, the Czech Republic and Russia, among others. Leading the way in Sustainable Strawberry Production, the company has a strict internal residue-free production protocol and Zerya® certification.

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Cuna de Platero presents new formats

BERRIES spain CUNAPLATERO, Juan Banez,

Meet all customer needs, supplying a strawberry of quality, in any format and with exquisite service. These are the main aims of the Cuna de Platero cooperative, Strawberry leading exporter to European markets, setting itself new challenges to overcome. And it is the strategy they continue to focus on, with a clear customer focus. This way, working with quality, reliability and sustainability, last season Cuna de Platero traded a total of 55.000 Tn, grown in  900 ha of plantations, with 90% in strawberries and the rest mainly in raspberries and blueberries, with a smaller portion of blackberry and peach.  The firm from Moguer, to meet the demands of supply chains and the European consumer, carries out exhaustive selection of fruit from field to store, choosing only those that meet the quality and food safety standards their customers want. This measure is making them a quality benchmark. Manager Juan Báñez emphasises: “Our aim is to be able to respond to any demand from our clients from our position as specialists, supplying them with the finest quality products and excellent service, improving upon what we’ve been doing so far, if such a thing is possible.” In addition, the cooperative is carrying out other actions, furnishing customers with the formats required and renewing their range of varieties, backing longer life and tastier fruits.