Successful in Italian, French, and UK markets, the colour-fleshed Kissabel® apples won the Sival Innovation Awards Roll of Honor for varietal innovation.

 

“Simply delicious!”, “They are the best apples I have ever tasted”, “Good, and very crunchy” – these are just some of the comments shared on social media by Kissabel® consumers, and point towards the success of the red-fleshed variety throughout the past season, alongside the full promise for the brand’s future.

The result of this year's sales campaign in the Northern Hemisphere has indeed been impressive: the red-fleshed apples met with the public’s enthusiasm and approval, to the great satisfaction of the producers. The latter have dedicated over 20 years of research on the apples, betting on their success. 

Premium, red-fleshed apples

The apples are fresh and crunchy, and boast an extraordinary flavour, enriched with notes of wild berries or citrus fruits depending on the variety – Rouge, Orange or Jaune. Indeed, these premium, red-fleshed apples are a truly unique example of varietal innovation in the agri-food field. 

It is precisely thanks to their uniqueness that Kissabel® won the gold medal in the category of innovative varieties at the Sival Innovation Awards Roll of Honor, thus crowning an already very positive season.

A flourish of promising feedback from Italy

 

The feedback coming from the Italian market continues to be very promising, and commercial results are in line with expectations: "We are very happy, sales were dynamic and consistent with what we had planned. In almost all cases, first time buyers reordered,” reported Fabio Zanesco, VIP Sales and Marketing Manager. 

This year’s success opens new horizons for plans and growth prospects for the coming years: “We have high expectations for the future, and we plan to expand the project with more orchards and new selections,” continued Mr Zanesco. “There is certainly the potential for a constant presence on the market, which would also allow us to focus on greater and diversified marketing activities,” he added.

 

The 2021 season was likewise excellent for the Kissabel® apples produced by the Melinda and La Trentina Consortia. Indeed, customer approval and request exceeded product availability,” according to marketing manager Andrea Fedrizzi. “This apple, thanks to its characteristics, is universally recognised as unique and therefore is in a different commercial game compared to any other type of apple,” he told Food & Beverage Networker. “Sales have followed a regular and sustained flow, also taking into consideration the very high seasonal quality of the product. Kissabel® was also promoted at the ‘Artigiano in Fiera’, during the first 10 days of December, and received excellent feedback from visitors. While we wait to discover what the product availability will be in 2022, we are confident in a positive new season for the red and pink hearted apples.”

UK market – “The real highlight is what’s inside!”

 

The UK also received good feedback from this year’s sales. “Kissabel® is an exciting brand of apples and we are delighted to sell it on the UK market. The real highlight is what’s inside!” commented Victoria Cliff, Worldwide Fruit Marketing Manager. 

To verify the actual satisfaction of consumers when it comes to taste, Worldwide Fruit conducted a survey with a panel of volunteers who had never tried Kissabel® apples before: the expectations raised by the beautiful appearance of the apple were fully met in the taste test – and for almost half of them, the taste even exceeded expectations.

“Our omni-channel marketing strategy (in-store, online, social media, retailer PR, influencer marketing) has been instrumental in reaching out to new shoppers, encouraging them to add this innovative range to the varieties they already knew,” noted Ms. Cliff, adding: “Our aim is to continue to bring more consumers into the Kissabel® world, and to increase its popularity in the UK market.”

 

French Kissabels now in 3rd year of commercialisation

The French market is now in its third year of commercialization. “Production this year grew by about 46 per cent compared to the previous year, mostly with a 75/80 calibre,” informed François Mestre, co-manager of Mesfruits. 

“With sales occurring mainly in France, we can say that Kissabel® apples sell easily without the need for special promotional activities. They are like candy: sweet, crunchy, and with a nice colour inside,” Mr Mestre remarked, adding that: “This year’s excellent results allow us to make plans to expand sales prospects to new countries in the coming years.”

 

Marine Bénac, communication manager of Blue Whale, also confirmed the appreciation of Kissabel® in France, where initiatives dedicated to consumers have been promoted in stores, and partnerships with brands and wholesalers have been furthered with excellent results. 

Even in Asia and Latin America, while some promotional activities such as in-store tastings could not be carried out due to the pandemic, online and in-store communication successfully attracted the curiosity and interest of consumers. Furthermore, thanks to the collaboration of Blue Whale with a television channel, Kissabel was also featured on Chinese TV.