Hessing introduces JUST: freshly sliced fruit

Last summer Dutch company Hessing took over the sliced fresh fruit division from Chiquita. From this January the company has set a new direction by introducing a new brand: JUST. Daan Vetters, Business Developer from JUST introduced this healthy product to the editors of AGF.nl last week and explained the origin and plans for JUST.

"Better and different"
To maximise the opportunities for freshly cut fruit Hessing plans to expand their fruit selection. Following the acquisition of Chiquita and it was decided to stop using the Chiquita brand and launch a new one. Daan believes JUST is an imaginative brand with a clear message. "The favourite convenience fruit brand is going to be 'better and different'. JUST stands for: hand cut fruit, pure and natural without additives. The brand is based on innovation, and fits itself to the desires and changing demands of customers. Fruit consumption in recent years has fallen and we want to get people back to eating more and this needs to be done in a realistic manner. People don't want to eat a whole pineapple, so we deliver this in segments. Healthy snacks need to be attractive, and people need it to be convenient, or they choose an unhealthy snack. It is also a challenge for us to deliver a product with the same taste and quality year round."

Daan Vetters with the freshly sliced fruit

Local fruit
JUST's selection and approach follows a different direction than Chiquita. "Chiquita's reputation was as a provider of tropical fruit, but we want to provide fruit from local origins as much as possible. Of course there are products, such as melon, which cannot possibly come from here but the focus is on providing fruit from the local area. We will, of course, also offer a special season mix. The growers are our hero's and through intensive partnerships we strive to use local fruit as much as possible. We also believe it is important that much of the fruit is hand processed. This ensures the best quality since we can see what product goes in the box and it retains a 'human' touch."

Sustainability

"Amongst other things JUST endeavours to be as sustainable as possible in their use of raw materials. For example, the use of recycled PET packaging and fruit waste turned into bio-gas. Our goal is to not put any more 'new' plastic into the world." Fruit from JUST goes into containers without additives. "Only apples and pears, are immersed in Vitamin C to maintain their colour. Our products are delivered as quickly as possible, we are talking 6 days from production. Fresh fruit is like a newspaper, which becomes old very quickly! Customers and potential receivers of the products are airlines, supermarkets and petrol stations. JUST's range is in full development and in the near future will see other products and combinations added," explained an enthusiastic Daan.

Growth potential
The Netherlands and Belgium are the main markets for JUST at the moment. "We also see growth potential in Germany and throughout the rest of Europe there is demand for this healthy convenient product including such countries as the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Portugal. In Belgium and The Netherlands we work together with the food service market, but there are possibilities within retail. As we move abroad we will also need other production locations in order to keep the product as fresh and deliver as quickly as possible, but that's the future."

Hessing have chosen a clearly defined branding strategy with the new JUST and the existing Fresh Quality brand. "The latter offers a wide range of fruit salads in juice for the food service market. Besides the private label, a customised retail supply also exists. 'Cost leadership' is central to both and involves the same quality products as JUST and we enjoy maximum coverage."

Fore more information:
Daan Vetters
Tel: +32 486 42 30 72
e-mail: daanvetters@hessingfruit.com