Page 81 - AMEFT Journal 2021-2

Kissabel is the brand that identifies the different colored-flesh varieties- from pink to deep red
- developed using exclusively natural breeding techniques. Reaction to Kissabel apples from commercial partners has been good. Marketing has made an impact in UK, France, Italy and Germany.
planting another type of Kissabel Rou- ge next year.
Importantly, Kissabel represents not
one but several highly distinctive addi- tions to the apple category. Marketed as Kissabel Rouge, Orange, or Jaune, a number of different red, orange and yellow skinned varieties offer a range of appealing flavors.
“I think it is very important to fo- cus attention on their very distinc- tive tastes, which lend themselves to different uses and to tasting Kissabel apples at all times of the day, and can win over consumers in different coun- tries,” observes Fabio Zanesco, VIP’s Sales and Marketing Manager. Early customer feedback has been good: “We sold around 80 tons of Kissabel in weeks 44-48, 72% of it Italy and 28% in Scandinavia,” he reveals.
Although Covid has prevented in- store tastings during the past 12 months, this does not mean direct marketing to consumers has stopped. “Through clear and direct visual com- munication in store, we were still able to convey the variety’s added value. Even in the absence of tastings, this generated excellent results,” explains Fedrizzi.
The trend is a similar one in France, according to Jean Nicolas Blouet of Mesfruits. “In France and the UK, all of our customers would have kept bu- ying if there had been more volume to sell,” he comments. “All of our clients are going to buy again next year. It is
MARKET & NEWS
already a rendezvous!” said Blouet. Also in France, Blue Whale’s com- mercial export director Marc Peyres is very optimistic about the brand’s pro- spects. He said, “We are really happy to be working with this completely new and unique apple. They are ama- zing on the inside, they look good,
and they taste good too.”
Kissabel is making progress in Swit-
zerland as well. Christian Bertholet is Fruit Category Manager at Swiss company Fenaco, which has worked hard to build awareness of the brand among its customer base. “All the major retail chains included the red- skinned variety in their ranges. We sent all our customers a sample at the beginning of the season, then in the second part of the season we reminded them all that we were still present in the market. Customers appreciated this innovation,” said Bertholet.
Emmanuel de Lapparent, who ma- nages the IFORED programme that oversees Kissabel’s development, concludes saying he sees a bright future for the brand. He said, “2020 was the second significant commer- cial campaign for Kissabel in Europe, and it is clearly showing great pro- spects for the coming years. Kissa- bel is proving to be a real innovation in the apple category.”
(Source: Kissabel)
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