During this year's Potato Europe in Germany, HZPC was one of the exhibitors. In its stand, various potato varieties were shown, but the emphasis was on Annabelle. "This variety has been in existence for a number of years, but it still has a lot of potential," says Feico Born, product manager Retail Fresh. "We began with this potato in Southern Germany, after which we expanded into other European countries, such as the Netherlands, France and Finland. Now Annabelle is being sold in 14 countries already."
Family potato
Feico indicates Annabelle is enjoying enormous popularity in Germany. "Germans value the specific flavour. HZPC Germany started a project in 2012, to position the Annabelle variety as a tasty potato, to be enjoyed by the whole family. (www.familienkartoffel.de) It's being presented with good-looking packaging and a hip website with games, tips and recipes. The 'family atmosphere' of the advertising is greatly appreciated here. Annabelle, die Familienkartoffel, is currently available in many supermarkets in Germany. Seeing how we focus a lot on the consumer with these promotions, demand is coming from them, and supermarkets are almost obliged to include the Annabelle in its range. Even discounters are now selling this variety." He indicates that potato promotion is different in Germany. "If you compare it to the Netherlands, the focus here is much more on name recognition of the variety. The segmentation in supermarkets in the Netherlands is more focused on the type of potato, paired with a specific characteristic. The name of the variety will be somewhere on the packaging, in small print."
Feico is responsible for the introduction of new varieties to retail suppliers. He still sees a lot of potential for Annabelle. "In Germany, a lot of growth is still possible, and of course we would also like to offer Annabelle year-round to other European retailers."
For more information:
HZPC Holland B.V.
Edisonweg 5
8501 XG Joure
T: +31 (0)513 489979
F: +31 (0)513 489802
www.hzpc.com