Consumer trends, business opportunities, the need to innovate with new formats and the ways to connect with consumers were the main topics at the third edition of the Butternut Conference. The event, organized by Sakata and Love Klabaza, the association of butternut squash producers from Spain and Portugal, brought together more than 100 attendees representing all links in the chain, from breeders to chefs, as well as producers, the processing industry and retailers.
In a very positive context, with a 20% increase in pumpkin consumption, the focus of the third edition of the Butternut Conference has been on identifying business opportunities. "We already have domestic pumpkins all year round, and thanks to plant breeding and the professionalism of growers, the quality we have achieved is excellent. What is then the key to increasing their presence in supermarkets and boosting consumption?" said Javier Bernabéu, Manager of Sakata Seed Ibérica and host of the event.
After a field visit, where Sakata showcased different varieties that are the result of innovation and constant work in plant improvement, the conference began with a round table discussion featuring Sebastián Barber, a technician from the company Valmuragro, and Joaquín Navarro and Javier Bernabéu, from Sakata Seed Ibérica, who outlined the keys to "obtaining a perfect butternut squash all year round," focusing on treatments, handling and growing conditions.
Regarding the potential of pumpkins in supermarkets, the main topic of the second round table, José María Lezcano, head of fruit and vegetables at Ahorramas, said: "Fresh pumpkin sales have grown by 201.51%, while fresh cut, ready to eat products have grown by 164.83% over the last five years." This is a global trend in all supermarkets, according to Gonzalo Trenor, Director of Ramafrut, a convenience food company that supplies retailer Mercadona. "We are constantly trying out new formats; with some, such as cut, peeled and packed pumpkin, we have achieved very good results." Amparo Pellicer, Sakata's Food Chain Manager, said that "whether this trend will continue is going to depend on the objectives we set ourselves, from production to the point of sale, and our capacity to innovate and give visibility to the product to attract new customers."
New formats and communication strategies are necessary to achieve greater visibility on the shelves and attract consumers. This is the goal of Love Klabaza, an umbrella brand created only three years ago which brings the majority of pumpkin growers in Spain and Portugal together and is already achieving very satisfactory results with its advertising campaigns. "With 20,000 followers on social media and 600 media appearances, Love Klabaza serves to highlight the value of the product, showing different types of consumers the versatility of a product whose demand has increased by 20%," says Cari Plaza, head of communication and marketing at Sakata Seed Ibérica.
In fact, next fall, Love Butternut, the English version of the brand, is launching a campaign in the United Kingdom with various marketing initiatives to promote the product's consumption among the British population. "Another of the challenges is to deseasonalize consumption and get the hospitality sector involved in its promotion," says Piedad Coscollá, Anecoop's Marketing Director. For his part, Daniel del Toro, gastronomic promoter, asked the sector for "a wider variety of formats such as sticks or pumpkin chips to make things easier for the end consumer."
Andy Stalman, world expert in branding known as Mr. Branding, closed the event by analyzing the keys to the success of the Love Klabaza brand. "Consumers are not looking to buy a product; they are looking to become part of the history of the brand and everything that lies behind it. In this case, the idea is getting to understand what's behind a pumpkin."
For more information:
Sakata Seed Ibérica
Tel.: +34 963 56 34 27
Cari Plaza
[email protected]
Sara Guerrero
[email protected]