Health trend captures imagination of berry marketers
 
The UK’s obsession with ‘superfoods’ has spurred a new line of convenient berry packs at Wellpict European. Gill McShane reports.
 
The concept of superfruits and supervegetables – foods that contain high levels of disease-fighting nutritional compounds – is having a huge impact on the UK fresh produce sector. The UK media has finally hammered home the message that common diseases, such as heart failure, diabetes and cancer, can be prevented largely by eating a well-balanced diet.

Today, healthy snack foods are one of the fastest-growing sectors within the industry, with fruits and vegetables playing a pivotal role. To keep abreast of this trend, berry grower-marketer Wellpict European (WPE) has signed a deal with UK production firm Celador International – of the You Are What You Eat television series fame – to create a range of You Are What You Eat (YAWYE)-branded snack packs of fresh and frozen berries.

“The UK is a nation obsessed with food and its effect on our bodies,” says Jayson Clark, WPE’s marketing manager. “Prepared fruit is currently an incredible area of market growth, which is filling a gap in the healthy convenience sector in particular,” Mr Clark explains. “The YAWYE brand cuts through the confusion of contradictory health warnings and quick fix diets with a clear, informative voice. Plus, with superfoods being so topical, it made sense to launch a berry range incorporating blueberries with the YAWYE name,” Mr Clark adds.

The new range comprises an all-in-one, fresh “Berry Good Breakfast” pot with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, yoghurt and museli, and a fresh “Berry Good Snack” pot with a mix of the three popular berry types. Following on from the success of the YAWYE salad range, WPE is confident this berry option will gain presence at various UK supermarkets, convenience stores, delicatessens and other outlets.

“Our aim is to meet the needs of consumers who are both health conscious and time constrained,” says Mr Clark. “Above all, WPE aims to supply the best-quality berries to UK retailers,” he adds. “We have the confidence to diversify our offer and supply new and innovative products. It is on the back of this that we intend to build the success of our YAWYE range.”

Right: Jayson Clark, Marketing Manager, Well Pict European

The speciality and premium route is a clear winner on the UK berry market as retailers vie to match or beat their competitors’ sales for mainline berries. “Premium lines provide scope for differentiation in the marketplace,” says Mr Clark. “And they are usually variety specific, which is a great opportunity for WPE since we operate a large varietal development programme.” Consumers, also, are keen to ‘trade up’ the berry category and are increasingly willing to pay a premium for a better tasting berry than offered by traditional varieties.

WPE is the largest supplier of berries to Wal-Mart-owned UK-based retail chain Asda. With production sites located across the globe, it is perhaps surprising to learn that the backbone of the business remains with the production and marketing of locally and British-grown berries.

“There is a fast-growing tendency to support home-grown produce,” says Mr Clark. “Sales of British berries are up to four times higher than sales of counter-seasonal imported berries. Between 2006 and 2007, we expect our supply of British-grown berries to increase by almost 50 per cent.”

While strawberries remain WPE’s leading berry product, blueberries and blackberries have grown by 45 per cent and 60 per cent respectively over the last two years. In 2005, UK blueberry penetration was just 9.8 per cent, while today it is already at 19.7 per cent, meaning one in every five people will buy blueberries at least once a year.

Clearly, the berry market is developing rapidly in the UK. In fact, during some crucial periods of the year demand is outstripping supply as annual sales growth across all berry categories continues to hit double-digit figures.
To this end, WPE plans to continue expanding its production portfolio over the next few years. “WPE has invested in production for the last eight years and we now own many farms around the world, including the UK, Portugal, South Africa and the US,” explains Mr Clark. “Through this, we are able to fulfill our supply programmes, and this year we are aiming to market around 25 per cent more berries than in 2006.”

Greater market penetration in the UK has, to a large extent, been driven by successful marketing policies employed by retailers and marketers. WPE works hard to ensure its berries feature prominently in stores by improving the category’s visibility and dedicating sufficient shelf space to the fruit.

According to Mr Clark, there has also been a positive shift towards in-store block merchandising for the entire berry category, which has lead to a 10-14 per cent uplift in sales in comparison to sales of berries marketed individually.