Strategic Opportunities for Berries and Berry Product Development.
Presentation by Anne Thomson, MD Ella Drinks, Marketing Consultant Gallagher Associates.
There is a potential for dynamic growth with a widespread interest in the health benefits of berries and opportunities for products in many categories. For example look at the success of the cranberry being linked to health benefits and the importance of brand building.
The raw materials available in Scotland are fresh,
frozen, processed, dried and canned fruits, principally strawberries,
raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, brambles and gooseberries.
Fruit is available from a number of groups: Scotfruit, Angus Soft Fruits,
Abbey Fruit, Trading Solutions, Saltire Fruits, Blairgowrie Fruit Packers,
Highland Berry Growers and Rendalls. Also from individual growers.
| Fruit Availability | |
| Arctic raspberry | Aromatic, grows wild. Finns have breeding programme. Interesting flavour. |
| Aronia | Grown in Eastern Europe and Poland. High anthocyanin content, astringent, used in mixtures with other fruits, also known as chokeberry since grows like a weed. Not many diseases and harvested with blackcurrant or raspberry harvester. |
| Blackcurrant | SCRI breeding programme, experienced growers, good potential. |
| Blackthorn/sloe | |
|
Blaeberry |
All the vacciniums have potential, harvesting the problem. See Fiona Sinclair Millenium Study |
| Blueberry | Not so good flavour as blaeberry. A lot of research on health benefits available. There are English growers, likes low pH, not easy to grow well. |
| Boysenberry | Drought resistant blackberry/raspberry hybrid. |
| Bramble(or blackberry) | In England mainly, reasonable juice, not long storage. New varieties from SCRI. Likely to overtake all raspberry/blackberry crosses - logan, tay, tummel, boysen berries |
| Cherry | Experiment with new varieties on dwarf rooting stock underway in Fife. Climate in Scotland not ideal but can grow undercover. |
| Cloudberry | Raspberry type but different species. Grows wild in Scotland, interesting flavour, low yield. Used to make liqueurs in Scandinavia. |
| Cranberry | Many documented health benefits. Needs adapted method of growing for small scale. Can be economic, needs someone to run with it. |
| Damson | Got potential, not grown commercially. |
| Elderberry | Germany and Eastern Europe. Good cultivars, got potential. Rich red, dark juice, suffers from aphids, harbours viruses, wastage 60%, not lucrative. |
| Gean/wild cherry | Not grown commercially. |
| Gooseberry | Low level of production, low value, low vitamin C, poor colour, could source plants easily enough. Dark skinned varieties eg red will have darker colour/higher antioxidants. "Kitchen sink" image, machine harvestable. |
| Hawthorn | Strong tradition of use in herbal medicine as a heart remedy and rejuvenator. Grows abundantly. |
| Juniper | |
| Lingonberry (or cowberry) |
Common in Sweden and Finland. Never looked at here. |
| Loganberry | Not grown in Scotland, raspberry type. Originally a bramble/raspberry cross from California. |
| Mulberry | Tree fruit like big raspberry. Dark fruit, high anthocyanin content, not grown in Scotland. |
| Raspberry | Scotland's most famous fruit for flavour and aroma with over 2000 tonnes available annually. |
| Redcurrant | Could be interesting. A few people grow it, machine harvestable, easy to grow. Non-aromatic, colour not stable |
| Rosehips | |
| Rowan | Small production near Braemar. |
| Seabuckthorn | Lot of substantial claims, natural yellow colour, high in vitamin C, interesting flavour (orange). Difficult to grow commercially. Huge acreage in Russia. |
| Strawberry | Plenty of production for fresh. Needs a processing market. |
| Tayberry | High profile via amateur gardeners. Raspberry/bramble cross (as tummelberry). Expensive to pick and not particularly high yielding. Little value for fresh market due to poor shelf life. |
| Whitecurrant | Mutant form of redcurrant, more aroma. |
(Information courtesy of Rex Brennan, Ronnie McNicol, Andrew Logan.)
Need Emphasis on Market Development
- Develop products and markets and fruit growing will follow.
- Our research looked at products, packaging, promotion, consumer lifestyle which suggested product offers.
- Take forward and refine into market place brands with industry partner and target consumers.
The fresh and frozen to become accessible, valued and understood with use of branding, information and occasion led packaging.
Fresh and Frozen
- In sealed punnet format as usual but with dark coloured tray to enhance fruit colour.
- Fix-a-form label giving branding and in depth fruit info.
- Ready to eat tubs with built in spoons.
- Ring pull can (Del Monte) but with quality fruit.
![fresh fruit portions]](annebp1.jpg)
Scottish Fruit and Vegetables to Provide Higher Values to Existing Categories: Desserts, Snacks and Milk Substitutes.
- Dairy and Non-Dairy.
- Soya Milk and Scottish fruit juice drink, functional.
- Berry vegetable puree dessert.
- Non-dairy-fruit sorbet in modern, stylish tub with metallic lid.
Breakfast a Key "Healthy" Opportunity.
- Instant Breakfast. Microwaveable laminate pouch containing a ready made, just heat, healthy breakfast.
- Just heat for one minute, open, pour into bowl, quick-no mess.
- Fruit and cereal bar- travelling breakfast.
Scottish Fruit Offers Higher Values-Luxury, Premium, Goodness
to Confectionery.
- Fruitarami- the fruit version of pepperami.
- Farm produced real fruit Jellies, farm origin branded.
- Whole fruits coated in high cocoa chocolate.
- Countline fruit bar to sit next to Mars, Snickers.
A Modern Alternative to Jam.
- No sugar jam - low calorie, tooth kind and diabetic kind, using Splenda sweetener.
- Fruit Butter, like peanut butter but fruity.
- Fruit Pate the new "jeelee piece".
The Dynamic Juice and Soft Drink Market Looks for Interesting
New Flavours.
- Real quality fruit juice in acceptable familiar packaging.
- One to dilute, the others - ready to drink
Adding Value Down on the Farm.
- Ice lolly made from purees, sold in local shops and markets.
- Fruit juice for farm shops and farmers markets.
- Fruit smoothies.
- Tea using the leaves of the bush.
Import a Scandinavian Snack.
- Fruit Soup (eaten cold).
- Functional soup in a quick chill pouch, open and pour.
- In a ready to eat form sold from chiller cabinets.
Fruits with Fish
- Smoked Mackerel, smoked Greenland Halibut and smoked Scottish Salmon interleaved with sliced Scottish apple, blackcurrants and redcurrants.
Recipes for Fruits with Fish
- Through the use of PR, inform professionals of the use of Scottish fruit in catering in particular fish dishes.
Fruits With Meats
- A range of Cook-in Fruit Sauces to go with specific meats- labelled to help the consumer
- A range of Fruit Chutneys and Marinades to go with specific meats- labelled to help the consumer.
Recipes for Fruits With Meats
- Through the use of PR,
inform professionals of the use of Scottish fruit in catering in particular
meat dishes.
Other recipes:
Beef olives- stuffed with herbs and berries.
Rolled pork with apple and blackcurrants.
Sausages with meat, oatmeal and berries.
Smoked meats using fruit woods, cherry,plum and apple.
Fruits in Meat Pies
- Game Pie with berries.
- Scottish pastie or a healthier bridie, venison pieces in a fruit sauce wrapped in a fat free pastry.
- Scottish pork pie with berries and apple with healthier pastry.
Fruit Ketchup to Fruit Coulis
- Fruit sauce made with no preservatives to pour over desserts- made to look commodity and not too special. Approachable not elitist a Fruit Ketchup.
- Up market pure fruit coulis.
Alcoholic Fruit Drinks
- Real Scottish fruit juice ingredients not just flavourings.
New Directions
- The HotCan - a self heating can.
- The CoolCan - a self chilling can.
The New Scottish Oil Industry
The Kit
- Need for a "kit" to tell how to:
- Make products from fruit - jam, juice, sweets, etc.
- Package- access to processing + packaging options.
- Sell in local outlets + markets.
- Branding- printed on own PC/printer, leaflets, product FAQ, labels, outers.
