David Rogers, UK Sales Director, explains that “allbrassicas, including cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower,originally came from wild cabbage. At Tozer, we play around and see what otherconcept vegetables we can create, and from a cross between Brussels sprouts andkale, we created a new vegetable, called Flower Sprout, after twenty years ofselection and refining.”
David Rogers, UK Sales Director at the launch of the Flower Sprout
When the company started working on its development, therewas a belief that the concept was exactly what people expected from avegetable. “It is very easy to prepare, it doesn’t have the strong taste ofBrussels sprouts and it is also very versatile; you can eat it raw or cook itin many ways,” states David. “It also seems to have struck a chord in socialmedia.”
In 2010, the product finally reached the shelves of Marks& Spencer in the UK, receiving a fair amount of media attention, and in2013 it was also launched at other chains, like Waitrose or Asda, with recentinterest from Tesco, which will soon start a trial run. “It is a seasonalproduct; it arrives to supermarkets in October and stays on the shelves untilMarch,” explains David.
In 2013, Tozer was nominated for the innovation award at Fruit Logistica,generating plenty of attention internationally, particularly in the U.S., andfacilitating the product’s launch in this market, “where it was decided thename would be better if it contained the word ‘kale’. This is why Flower Sproutadopted the name Kalettes, which was launched last October,” affirms David.
In Europe, the product is arriving in Switzerland, theNetherlands and Germany. David explains that, “the license is granted byterritories, so one company will have exclusive rights for its distribution ineach country. We aim to maintain the product’s value by keeping the marketingquite tight.”
Marta Arroyo, AccountDirector at Mint Global Marketing
For its part, the company Mint Global Marketing will be incharge of promoting the product across Europe. “Our main target will beretailers, and our secondary target will be the consumer,” affirms AccountDirector Marta Arroyo.
“The Flower Sprouts is still not a well known vegetable and ourinitial goal is to get people talking about them,” she explains. “In themarkets where they have already reached the shelves, we plan to provide toolsto increase the consumers’ awareness about ways to cook them.”
The marketing campaign will especially target families withyoung children, emphasising that “The Flower Sprout is not just healthy, butmake you feel healthy; that they are not just easy to prepare, but they alsomake your life easier,” states Marta Arroyo.
In global terms, parsnip and celery are still Tozer’s coreproducts. The firm was actually the first seed company in the world ever toproduce F1 hybrid varieties, and its range includes numerous other products,such as rocket, leeks, salad onions, brassicas or lettuce.
“In any case for us, the Flower Sprout is quite a uniqueproduct, with still limited competition in the market, so in terms of straight-forwardseed sales, it is very valuable for us. The product itself also gives us a veryhigh profile. As a company, we aim to expand our presence outside the UK, andthis product can help us achieve that,” concludes Rogers.
For more information:
María Moreno
Mint
Tel: +34 91 791 29 41
Email: maria@wearemint.com