There is a lot of interest in China regarding the import of premium preserved foods, an emerging market which the group Cirio is approaching with a multi-pronged attack.
In 2013 the company Conserve Italia accounted for 28.3% of the total of all exported tomato preserves. “Our group controls all the European markets in general”, states the company, “especially in Northern and Central Europe where we are highly respected, both for supplying our own brands and for supplying private labels for international retailers. In Europe, including Eastern Europe, with Russia recently lifting its ban on importing fresh produce and where there is still a lot of interest in high-end preserves, the development plans are ambitious. The major concerns for states outside the EU are hidden in North America, Australia and Japan. As they all have very different markets, we approach them all with different distribution strategies under the brand of Cirio.”
In particular, the Cirio brand is distributed in around 2,500 supermarkets in the North East of the United States – comprising the state of New York and those surrounding it – where a large Italian origin community resides and where there is also a good concentration of American foodies.
“The same could be true for China”, continues Conserve Italia, “and we can see that as more of an opportunity for us rather than let ourselves be intimidated by it. Regarding tomato preserves, the trends found in various countries are extremely varied, depending on the combination of many factors: eating habits, economic development, the demography, the presence of communities of Italian origin, relationships with our country etc. All of these factors lead to an interesting diversity in the needs of the end-users regarding the products; the pack sizes and designs and also the communication requirements. It is important to note that Cirio’s latest innovation, selling tomato passata in PET plastic containers, has been well received in countries like England for example, where it is welcomed with enthusiasm for its practical and eco-friendly qualities. Whatever our approach to each different country, there is always something which stays the same, the quality of the Italian foods we offer. It is this factor that can be used to overcome the expected commercial and marketing difficulties.”