Fifteen years ago, Inova Fruit introduced the apple varieties Wellant, Rubens and Junami. Only the Junami apple is still left under the organisation’s umbrella now. This apple can now be bought from every retailer, it’s known for its good shelf life and the fact that it’s a local product.
“The reason why Junami made it and Rubens and Wellant didn’t had nothing to do with the quality of the apples. When consumers stop asking for certain apples, and your organisation was completely focused on stimulating sales, you won’t be able to continue the same (promotional) efforts at some point. A product has to be distinctive for consumers. Retailers can ask good prices for a distinctive product, so that the entire supply chain can be fairly compensated,” says Philip Smits of Inova Fruit. The appearance of the Rubens apple wasn’t good enough according to Philip, and that’s the reason the apple wasn’t successful. “The Dutch consumers think appearance is just as important as the flavour of the fruit. Rubens looked just a bit less perfect and smooth than other apple varieties. Rubens is still available in the Netherlands, but Inova Fruit no longer owns the variety. Wellant is an excellent apple that was sold directly to trade and in home sales by the grower at the time. Because of free sales, it was no longer worthwhile to continue with Wellant as a club variety.”
Local
“The fresh produce shelves in supermarkets aren’t getting any bigger, and it’s much more valuable when apples have found a good spot on them. Junami now has a nice place in assortments, and they are sold by every supermarket in the Netherlands. No retailer can afford not to have Junami on their shelves, because customers ask for Junami,” Philip continues. “A characteristic of Junami that makes it distinctive from other club varieties is the apple’s good shelf life. Junami is on shelves from November, but sales peak when Elstar is done and Junami is then still of excellent quality, as if they’ve just been picked. It’s unnecessary to import the apple from the Southern Hemisphere. It’s a Dutch apple, and therefore a local product. But most important are its good flavour, perfect bite and the good ratio between sweet and sour.”
Distinctive
“For a club variety it’s essential that flavour and appearance are distinctive from other varieties. Shelf life also needs to be good, and it’s important new club varieties are resistant to all sorts of diseases such as scab. For grower and environment it’s important as few pesticides as possible are needed during the production process,” Philip explains. When asked if new varieties are in the pipeline, the manager is a bit more cautious. “A new variety is in the pipeline. We’re currently working on a trial production, and this is looking well. It’s expected that we’ll be able to announce the variety and its name next year. The only thing we can now say is that it’s an apple that’s on the yellow/green side of the apple range. A lot of red and reddish apples can currently be bought in supermarkets, and in yellow/green apples there’s the Golden Delicious, which is slipping a bit regarding quality perception.”
‘Have a Junami break and feel great’
The most important target audience for Junami is the group of 20 to 35 year-olds. “The apple is positioned as a product giving a mental and physical boost when you need it. That’s why the slogan is: ‘Have a Junami break and feel great.’ In customer researches we’ve seen that the perception of consumers is as such. Besides, two in three consumers are familiar with Junami. That means we’re at a very good level,” Philip says. Most of the Junami sales occur via retail, but Inova Fruit thinks it’s also important that the apple is available via greengrocer’s specialist shops. “We recently joined Vrienden van ADN. We hope Junami gets a permanent place in greengrocer’s specialist shops because of this, but we also want to make sure retailers can maintain their position and not succumb to the violence and volume of supermarkets.”
More information:
Inova Fruit
Philip Smits
prjsmits@gmail.com
www.inovafruit.nl