According to various market studies, there is a downward trend in the consumption of fresh fruit, especially among the younger generations, who are mostly seeking convenience. The pre-prepared convenience food sector aims to cater to this trend and create new consumption habits.
The company Cortijo Cueva was recently incorporated into Bollo Natural Fruit Group with the idea of giving a boost to this business and diversifying how its main products and brands are consumed, including citrus, melon, and watermelon. The group's product portfolio has thus been expanded with other products that Cortijo Cueva was already working with, such as pineapple and pumpkin, among others.
© Joel Pitarch | FreshPlaza.com
"According to recent studies we have carried out, consumer habits are moving towards more convenient products. We don't carry out such studies just to draw conclusions but to take action," says Antonio Alarcón, CEO of Bollo Natural Fruit.
At the recent Fruitnet Citrus Congress held in Valencia, it was revealed that mandarin consumption has stagnated and that of oranges has dropped significantly.
"We have ideas for the development of new pre-prepared convenience foods with this type of fruit, and we are sure that there will be possibilities to make progress on this. We can't expect consumers to adapt to us; we are the ones who have to adapt to the consumer," says Antonio Alarcón. "Also, the people of my generation will remember that in the past, when you went to a greengrocer or to the fruit section of a supermarket, there wasn't such a range of products as there is today," he says.
"In the case of oranges, for example, our business will continue to be based on delivering them fresh, but we will offer alternatives to those who prefer to eat them peeled or those who would only drink the juice, thus complementing the fresh fruit on offer. A lot of pre-prepared convenience fruit is currently being marketed to schools to make it easier for them to eat fruit. In this way, we can, for example, motivate children to be more interested in oranges."
As far as the citrus season is concerned, Antonio Alarcón describes it as eventful and with mixed results, especially due to the rains. "After the constant rains of the previous weeks, we are starting to go back to normality. Fortunately, we were ready for this, and, although we have seen a slight reduction in terms of volumes, we have not been affected in terms of quality, which is very important for us. It's also worth noting that, in Andalusia, the reservoirs have filled up and irrigation will be guaranteed over the next two years after a period of significant drought in previous years."
Regarding the ongoing restructuring of the citrus sector, Alarcón predicts that company mergers into large groups will continue to happen. "Even though we have gone from 773 dealers in 1993 to 150 today, there are still a lot of operators. Customers are demanding so many improvements that you need investment to be efficient, and without merging and working on a larger scale, it won't be possible to take on such projects," he says.
For more information:
Bollo Natural Fruit
https://bollonaturalfruit.com/