Fruitbox

Soren Bjorn, president of leading berry brand Driscoll’s, believes the development of year-round supply in the soft category offers important lessons for everyone in the fresh fruit and vegetable business.

Speaking in the latest episode of Fruitnet’s interview series Fruitbox, Bjorn explains how the berry category has not only benefited from being right on trend as far as flavour, health and convenience are concerned, but has generally succeeded in offering the right quality all through the year, rather than only in peak seasons.

That lack of quality is not always evident in other categories, notably stonefruit, he argues.

"A lot of times, the first thing a consumer tries is those really early peaches from somewhere where you really shouldn't grow peaches and that just don't taste of anything,” he comments. “And by the time you get to the really good peaches in the middle of summer, the consumers have already left the category. I think the berry category has generally done a better job.”

That’s not to say the soft fruit industry itself doesn’t face its own challenges in terms of guaranteeing quality. As Bjorn points out, recent dramatic growth in sales of blueberries has led to some lower-quality fruit being produced in countries including Peru and Spain.

“The advantage is that most growers made quite a bit of money, so they have the cash to reinvest in the genetics and upgrade the genetics pretty quickly,” he comments. “But that’s what they will need to do, because they general offer that’s there today, it will just not be competitive in three or four years.”

Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis.

Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry.

To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email [email protected].

To learn about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, email [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Filip Fontaine, managing director of Belgian food marketing body Vlam, discusses the future of food and the major impact the recent coronavirus crisis has had – especially on the restaurant business.

Although the lifting of lockdown restrictions should see a return to out-of-home dining, he believes, he also says it will be harder for the traditional restaurant business to continue in its previous form.

Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis.

Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry.

To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email [email protected].

To learn about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, email [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For one of India's leading fresh fruit and vegetable exporters, new challenges presented by the global coronavirus outbreak in terms of airfreight availability have forced it to re-evaluate its business model and turn to new ideas closer to home.

As Kaushal Khakhar, chief executive of Mumbai-based Kay Bee Exports, explains in the latest edition of Fruitbox, the company has turned its attention to a new B2C concept called Mango First, bringing some of India's finest fresh mangoes direct to customers' front doors.

And even though consolidation in the market for airfreighted products into Europe has seen a reduction in its export volume, margins are slightly better on the fruit and veg that is still making its way to customers overseas, which might make for a more profitable business in the longer term.

Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis.

Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry.

To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email [email protected].

To learn about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, email [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If food waste was a country, it would be the world's third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and with around one-third of the food produced around the world thrown away rather than being consumed, consumers and retailers are becoming far more aware of the need to prevent that waste.

In the fruit and vegetable business too, reducing waste is more crucial than ever, especially at a time when the coronavirus crisis has highlighted not only the need to get more fresh produce to disadvantaged people in society, but also the need for everyone in general to eat healthily.

Oddbox, a box delivery scheme that started in London and is now preparing to expand across the UK and into Europe, has established a thriving business rescuing fresh and seasonal fruit and veg that would otherwise go to waste – either because they don't meet market specifications in terms of size, shape or colour, or simply because they are surplus to requirements.

In the latest edition of Fruitbox, the company's co-founder Emilie Vanpoperinghe explains how the model works, why she thinks a shift to this kind of online, direct-to-consumer supply model is here to stay, and why the box delivery model is proving increasingly popular with consumers who want to balance value with values by buying more seasonal fruit and veg.

Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis.

Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry.

To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email [email protected].

To learn about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, email [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Zealand might appear far away from the action when it comes to business, markets and consumers, but the country’s hugely successful kiwifruit brand Zespri has managed to make itself a central feature of the global fresh produce business in spite of that remoteness. Now more than ever, it seems, the recently relaunched brand is bringing a message of health to consumers all across the globe.

Speaking exclusively to Fruitbox, chief executive Dan Mathieson explains how the company’s links with an international supply base have given it a head start in tackling coronavirus, and how it has been able to refocus its healthy eating message around Vitamin C to online shoppers.

Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis.

Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry.

To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email [email protected].

To learn about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, email [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to buying fresh fruit and vegetables, how has consumer behaviour changed in the past few months? As marketing manager of South Tyrolean company Vog, Europe’s largest apple producer, Hannes Tauber spends much of his time researching consumer purchasing patterns in order to understand what’s going on in the market, finding out what consumers want and identifying where the next commercial opportunities might lie.

In the latest episode of Fruitnet's interview show Fruitbox, Hannes discusses how the recent coronavirus crisis has changed the way people shop and reshaped their attitudes to products like apples. He also explains how fruit and veg brand marketers must react in order to preserve their close links with those consumers, offering some examples of what Vog has done with its own brand Marlene.

Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis.

Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry.

To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email [email protected].

To learn about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, email [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dragons’ Den star Shawn Harris knows the value of innovation to the fresh fruit and veg industry. Having established Nature’s Pride and turned it into the world’s largest importer of avocados, she recently set up Orange Wings, a startup accelerator for promising new businesses.

As Harris explains in Episode 13 of Fruitbox, there is still plenty of room for improvement through innovation in industries like fresh produce, which is one of the reasons Orange Wings is now supporting startup companies around the world.

Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox was launched in March 2020. Already, a few thousand listeners from across the global fruit and vegetable business are tuning in twice a week to hear its exclusive interviews and expert analysis.

Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry.

To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email [email protected].

To learn about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, email [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coronavirus has changed a lot of things, but according to Rewe Group's director of fruit and vegetable category management Stephan Weist, there won't be any dramatic, long-lasting changes to the way people buy fresh produce. Instead, he believes the real constant before, during and after the crisis will prove to be the enduring value of good relationships with suppliers.

Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox was launched in March 2020. Already, a few thousand listeners from across the global fruit and vegetable business are tuning in twice a week to hear its exclusive interviews and expert analysis.

Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry.

To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email [email protected].

To learn about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, email [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the government lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of UK restaurants, most of Reynolds' fresh produce supply business vanished overnight. But as managing director Tony Reynolds explains, the company has adapted, survived and even improved by taking swift and decisive action, expanding its home delivery service network to meet new consumer demand in a new part of the market.

Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox was launched in March 2020. Already, a few thousand listeners from across the global fruit and vegetable business are tuning in twice a week to hear its exclusive interviews and expert analysis.

Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry.

To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email [email protected]

To learn about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barbara Galli, global marketing and communication lead at Chiquita Brands International, explains how one of the world's top consumer brands has managed to repurpose a major marketing campaign and adjust its advertising spend in order to maintain its connection with consumers during the coronavirus crisis.

Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox was launched in March 2020. Already, thousands of listeners from across the global fruit and vegetable business are tuning in twice a week to hear its keynote interviews and expert analysis. Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry.

To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email [email protected]

To learn about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, email [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.