Once again this year, the leading French cooperative Blue Whale® will be exhibiting at the Fruit Attraction trade fair from 8 to 10 October in Madrid.
‘Our aim is to create value for both our growers and our buyers: wholesalers, supermarkets and greengrocers. However, for all this to make sense, we cannot forget one key element: consumers’, says Bruno Bertheloz, General Manager at Blue Whale®. ‘Consumer tastes have changed in recent years and the industry has not always been able to respond in time. It is time to put the consumer at the heart of our business,’ he adds.
To this end, the French group has carried out an exhaustive study of consumer needs and trends in its main European, Asian and American markets. The analysis of these results has given rise to the future strategy of the French corporation being presented at Fruit Attraction.
Blue Whale® has reorganised its apple portfolio by segmenting them according to the taste profiles of its consumers all over the world. The crunchy Envy, the sweet Candine and the surprising Kissabel are its modern varieties adapted to new tastes. For its part, Coeur de Reine offers a balanced profile, perfect for the traditional, more mature French palate. These and other varieties complete a portfolio with a total of 30 apple varieties available.
Blue Whale® also offers a wide range of other fruits – premium pears such as Angys, QTee and Fred; green and yellow kiwis; novel plums such as Métis; and seedless Apiran table grapes are the focus of its new diversification strategy for the time being. ‘Our customers around the world recognise Blue Whale® as a leading apple specialist. However, many are unaware that we can offer them so much more,’ says Bertheloz. ‘We want to be their partner in making their shelves more dynamic, not only for apples, but for all premium fruit’, he concludes.