ENCOURAGING SIGNS AND 12-MONTH AVAILABILITY
The Consortium is ready to face the challenges with a broad, high-quality assortment and brands able to engage and excite consumers
BOLZANO, 2 September 2024 – Since early August, VOG’s more than 4,000 apple farmer members have been at work on this year’s harvest. The prospects for the new sales season are good, with quantities able to ensure availability for all 12 months of the year, a positive end to the previous season and a smaller European crop.
According to European crop forecasts, South Tyrol – Südtirol is well placed in spite of a fall in overall quantities. In fact, table apple quantities are only very slightly lower in relation to the total, and quality is predicted to be well able to satisfy the demands of consumers and the markets.
“The signs are encouraging, but we’ve only just started the new harvest, the apples from which are being added continuously to our all-year-round assortment,” comments VOG Sales Manager Klaus Hölzl. “There are many challenges and a number of factors we still can’t predict, such as the geopolitical crises and production volumes outside Europe. We’re definitely starting out in a good position, from which it will be important to keep our quality promise.”
“As for integrated production, prospects are also good for organic apples,” Mr Hölzl adds, “thanks to the satisfactory rate of destocking and a low level of competition on the European markets.”
The situation area by area
One of the reasons why the prospects for VOG’s new sales season are looking promising is the positive end to the 2023/2024 season. Thanks to good sales performance during the spring and summer months, the Consortium has maintained its market position and achieved its sales targets. In terms of exports, there was growth on the markets outside Europe, especially South and Central America. The stock situation is also in line with forecasts.
Sales in Italy, VOG’s main market, were lively throughout the last year. “On the Italian market, we succeeded in increasing sales, first and foremost with our Marlene® – Daughter of the Alps brand but also with apples such as Pink Lady®, Kanzi® and envy™ and excellent performances from Cosmic Crisp®, RedPop® and Giga®,” Mr Hölzl comments. “Our varietal assortment enables us to cover our commercial partners’ needs, so we’re also confident for the campaign that’s just got underway.”
Since it’s so near at hand, Spain is an important market for VOG. The country is a particularly important destination for the Marlene® brand and for Kanzi®, but interest in new products like envy™, Crimson Snow®and Cosmic Crisp® is also growing.
Germany proved to be a complex market in the 2023/2024 season, due to strong competition from other European countries. The sales year that’s just begun should offer new prospects for VOG, thanks to a lower level of competition and 12-month availability guaranteed, including for organic products.
In spite of the difficult international situation, markets outside Europe, such as the Middle East and South America, have experienced considerable growth in the last few years. “Market diversification is one of our strengths,” comments Mr Hölzl, “because it enables us to introduce our apples to new areas and meet the needs of consumers in different parts of the world.”
Brand strategies
As in previous years, purchasing behaviours will be a challenge for the apple sector, as for fruit and vegetables overall. Therefore, at the start of the new sales season VOG is working on precise planning of its communication and consumer engagement activities, also with in-store programmes in partnership with retailers. “To support purchases we have to reach beyond the product and focus on the consumer,” explains Hannes Tauber, Marketing Manager at VOG. “We have to make it clear that each apple in our assortment responds to different lifestyles and aspirations, explain how and when to consume it and use the language of its audience. At the same time, it’s fundamental to make sure the product is available when shoppers go out to buy, with ample presence in stores.”
The first campaign to get under way will be for Marlene®, a brand that is celebrating its 30th birthday. To engage with consumers, the Daughter of the Alps will continue to concentrate on its origin, its local culture and the flavour world of its varieties. While our invitation to a culinary experience has encouraged consumers to explore apples’ gourmet side, the new season will expand inspirations even further, to celebrate the apple in art.
The end of August will also see the start of the campaign for SweeTango™, the apple that makes summer last longer with its juiciness and freshness. In September it will be the turn of Kanzi®, which will turn 20: an important milestone, serving a target of more dynamic consumers in search of an energy boost. Communication for the new season will involve a large number of differentiated projects, with a focus on sport and an active lifestyle.
envy™ will continue to delight consumers with its sensory experience and projects that take the apple beyond the fruit and vegetable department, with inspirations associated with beauty and pleasure. Pink Lady® will come on stream in November and will focus on sustainability and the safeguarding of biodiversity.
After last year’s success, Cosmic Crisp® will extend its campaign and, thanks to increased quantities, will be available all 12 months of the year, or almost. With its superior taste and texture characteristics, Cosmic Crisp® offers consumers a heavenly taste; it is a unique apple, providing sensations that allow you to touch the sky at any time of day, from sunrise to sunset.
With the second half of the season, the focus will switch to Giga® and RedPop®, two apples with unique personalities linked to specific values and lifestyles. Giga® has a bold and expansive identity, ready to share its goodness with the world. RedPop® is sweet, but with a rebellious, pop soul, just like a moment to yourself.
“The concept that unites all our brands is that an apple is more than just a fruit; it’s a way of expressing values and lifestyles,” Mr Tauber concludes. “So a constant dialogue with consumers is essential to overcome the challenges of a complex, constantly changing market.”
