Kale is very popular in North America at the moment. Over the last few years it has really taken flight, according to Ernst van Eeghen of Church Brothers. In Holland we know kale mainly as a winter meal. “But in the US the vegetable is literally everywhere, in the weirdest places and oddest combinations. Everyone is on top of it: sell everything with kale!”The craze started around two years ago, says Ernst. He’s not sure how it happened. “I suspect because it’s so healthy. Kale is suddenly in the media everywhere. Cooks are presenting it in cooking programs, it’s advertised in shops. It really is a huge trend.”
The unprecedented popularity of kale has also surprised the marketing director of Chruch Brothers. “Until recently we were only really supply two types. We had the ‘bunch kale’ straight off the field, and the ‘mature kale’, the fully grown kale that is washed and packaged first. But around a year and a half ago the ‘Kale Madness’ erupted. People here suddenly became aware of the advantages of the vegetables, such as the medicinal value, which is very high. It’s counted among the power foods here. A while ago I even saw a kale cocktail! It’s used a lot in smoothies over here.”
Church Brothers was in there straight away to market their own kale. Especially by making people aware of the health benefits, but also by showing them the diversity of the product with fun recipes. “Personally, we started using kale as an ingredient in our Spring Mix,” says Ernst. “We brought out the Baby kale. Now the demand for the latter is so big that we’ve extended our area for it. It’s also no longer just an ingredient, we market it as a product in its own right. We offer a far wider assortment of kale products, such as the Italian Greens, which are in high demand: two baby kales with rucola. A number of recent products are Baby Black Kale and Baby Scarlet Kale. Due to the popularity we’re still busy developing the perfect kale.”
Church Brothers mainly supplies the foodservice, but Ernst can see the customer base widening. “We still supply companies who process the product, but we now also process it ourselves. We often sell our mature kale to smoothie makers. But our customers are spread throughout North America. A lot is bought in Canada, perhaps more than in the US.”
The kale may be popular, but without a well thought out marketing plan you won’t get far, Ernst warns. “We don’t just throw the kale onto the market, the sales are paired with a good packaging, so attractive, but also with a plethora of culinary tips, or pre-packaged with other vegetables. You can’t just be the supplier, you have to supply good tips and ideas.”
Whether the ‘Kale Madness’ will last for much longer, no one can say. “Of course the next power food is waiting in line. What it will be, no one knows. I still think that people are starting to pay more and more attention to colour, taste, texture, all the sense aspects of food. But to really break through, it has to be either very healthy, or very unique. I think that’s the trend at the moment. Kale is not a new product,” he admits. “But it’s being brought back to peoples’ attention. It received a review, partially due to the diversity of the vegetable. Tells you how versatile produce can be and how trends can lift an existing boring commodity up to be the hippest things around now!”
For more information:
Ernst Van Eeghen
Church Brothers / True Leaf Farms
Tel: +1 831 682 2150
[email protected]
www.churchbrothers.com
