The consumption of salads has been growing progressively in recent years. Their ease of use, healthy eating trends, and the wide range of options available have made them popular among consumers. They used to be simple, with just lettuce and tomato, but are now mixed with protein, gourmet, or international flavors.
Despite this upward trend in salad consumption, the challenges are not easier to overcome. According to Fermín Aldaz, Florette's Sales and Marketing Director, "the biggest challenges for the sector are climate change and environmental protection, as well as generational succession in the fields, and promoting innovation at the service of sustainability and the consumer."
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Market trends change rapidly in this sector and are also linked to different kinds of consumers. "In the pre-prepared convenience food range, we can talk about four trends affecting both complete salads and bagged salads. For us, flavor is very important. For example, we are offering a salad for the younger segment that aims to deliver great taste with every bite, which, by the way, is already one of Florette's top ten best-selling products," says Aldaz.
"Other trends are protein-rich options, such as salads with chicken and egg, and due to the interest in international cuisines, there's also a new one inspired by Japan. Besides all the creativity, we also believe in the value of the classic with gourmet mixes, first sprouts, the Caesar, or those with pasta and rocket, which are still essential," says the manager.
With all this variety, "consumers won't be forced to choose between healthy, tasty, or practical options. We are looking for products that meet all their expectations; that are fresh, healthy, tasty, practical, filling, and sustainable."
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"Summer supply programs are becoming increasingly difficult. There are climate-related challenges, but the reality is that the logistics and crop diversification at Florette are allowing us to ensure supply in all seasons of the year," says Aldaz.
To cope with the drought, "we are diversifying into other growing areas in the winter months. Florette has six production centers throughout Spain: in Navarre (2), Tarragona, Murcia, Toledo, and the Canary Islands, located close to the crops. This logistical-industrial strategy is allowing us to deliver fresh, local produce to consumers all year round via supermarkets and restaurants," says the manager.
It is precisely this diversification of production in different areas of Spain, such as Navarre, Soria, Albacete, Murcia, or the Canary Islands, Valladolid, and Cadiz, "which allows us to guarantee supply. In total, we put 750,000 salads on the market every day via 14,000 points of sale and 15,000 restaurants," says Aldaz.
"This season, there were incidents in some harvesting areas due to the storms recorded at the beginning of summer." However, "we managed to speed up the pace thanks to the good weather in the following months, and we estimate that production and harvesting will not suffer any major setbacks. Still, weather-related factors remain a constant challenge in our sector."
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For more information:
Florette
Tel.: +34 948 40 92 00
[email protected]
www.florette.es