"It's been an extraordinary year - we've had to deal with ups and downs as well as sentiments," says Richard Strijbis, Tovano's managing director. This Dutch company has now called the dried fruit and nuts world home for seven decades. "More people appreciate how healthy raw nuts are. That trend continues to grow across the board. This trend among consumers and our customers is positive."
Richard Strijbis
In addition to this, Richard attributes nuts' popularity to its many moments of possible use. For example, at breakfast, as a snack, or mixed into a salad. Tovano sells not only raw nuts. They sell baked, salted, and chocolate-coated products too. These hitch a ride on raw nuts' good image. "Those are fun products that taste good. The unroasted nuts, kernels, and dried fruits have a healthy flow. But the growth is in totality. If someone buys raw nuts, they also, for instance, buy a chocolate product."
"That, therefore, pushes sales along," he explains. Still, both shelled, and in-shell walnuts are Tovano's bestseller. Almonds are at number two. Richard also sees a strong increase in almond flour demand. "That's skyrocketed in recent years, rising by 1,000% in the last five years. People use it a lot more in the kitchen. They're also more willing to find out for themselves what's good and tasty." Pecans are another of this nut trader's big growers.
Avoiding additives
Richard says the organic segment, too, is growing. "Organic is gradually increasing." It certainly has a place in Tovano's assortment. Nevertheless, the company is focusing even more strongly on avoiding additives, like added sugars or e-numbers in its products. "Those products are the future. Consumers do want sugars, but from the fruit itself; pure, not added." Shoppers are also shying away from the many e-numbers that are sometimes listed on labels.
"People are more aware of health and what's added," says Strijbis. That is why Tovano has a range of products from South Africa, including dried apricots, pears, grapefruit, and orange. These are free of added sugars, and avoid using e-numbers. These products' flavors, too, are outstanding. "For example, our South African mango without added sugar is tastier and tastes much purer. Consumers just have to learn to eat it. We've put much time and energy into that."
The wholesale company does this by providing a lot of information about the products. And they allow clients to experience the product along with their shoppers. Dates are another product that is gaining renewed interest. "Although it's a traditional product, dates are becoming more popular. They're full of natural sugars, so give lots of energy. People use both Deglet-Nour and Medjoul dates as natural energy-rich snacks to, say, replace sports bars. You can just eat a couple of dates instead," Richard adds.
Logistics
Tovano notes that consumers increasingly want high-quality products. It still seems to be quite challenging to be able to guarantee this continuously. That is due to the current logistical struggles. "The logistics chain is so complex; it's becoming increasingly challenging to ensure you can keep delivering top quality." Here, Richard mentions the importance of having a clear picture of the supply chain.
"We've accumulated that knowledge over more than 70 years. So, we're fortunate to be able to continue delivering in a growing trend. We've adjusted our goods' flow in such a way that we can always deliver," he concludes. One of the strategies Tovano employs is to source the same products from different origins. That increases supply security.
Richard Strijbis
Tovano
Transportweg 47
4676 LM Maasdijk
+31 (0)174 52 83 33
richard@tovano.nl
www.tovano.nl