Salt and pepper are not exactly symbolic of the ‘made In Italy’ phenomenon. And yet, there are Italian companies in this sector who are using exports to stimulate their business. “Around 25% of our turnover comes from sales in over 60 countries worldwide.” Gabriele Innocenti, sales director at Drogheria & Alimentari, explains. “Our most successful markets are The Netherlands, America, Australia and Russia. Over the coming years our key targets will be to strengthen our market share in countries where we are already active and to expand further into other European markets, like France and Germany. We are already co-packers for Aldi and Lidl in Germany, and for Sistème U in France. We have opened commercial branches in both countries, which will enable us to form direct relationships with our retailers.”
The results already look promising, as demonstrated by the successful launch of four new herb product lines at Aldi and Système U.
“Leading local brands tend to have the biggest market share in the spice sector, which can often ignite a price war”, observes Innocenti. “Moreover, private label products are growing and eating into the big industrial brands’ profits. The solution is to offer specific ranges in the mid to high-end section, that are not out to replace branded products already on the shelves, either in terms of product or price. This approach has already proved successful for us in terms of long-term relationships with retailers, who are expressly asking for differentiated product lines that offer added value. Examples include our work with top names like Woolworths, Kroger, Safeway and Albert Heijn”.