At Macfrut, New Factor officially presented the latest products created in collaboration with Wonderful. FreshPlaza talked about it with New Factor director Francesco Perego.
FreshPlaza (FP): How important is the pistachio category for you?
Francesco Perego (FPE): Together with peanuts, pistachios are the main products when it comes to the roasted / roasted and salted segment and they are one of the favorite elements when it comes to dried fruit snacks, especially for aperitifs. For us, at the moment, this segment represents around 15% of the volumes and remains highly strategic as it keeps growing and evolving. In 2019, we started working with Wonderful, a global leader that entrusted us with the exclusive distribution of its products on the Italian territory.
New packaging for Italian peanuts
FP: What are the main origins and how have they changed over the years?
FPE: The main origins remain stable and they are the US and Iran, as well as Turkey for the shelled produce. In addition, interest has grown for European origins such as Greece and Spain, although they remain not as competitive in terms of quantities and price. The growth of the Spanish harvest remains an element to keep under observation, though a significant part of the production is organic.
Two new products - Barbecue and Salt&Pepper
FP: Pistachio diversification: new sales (i.e. new buyers)? Or do they risk taking shares away from traditional pistachios?
FPE: Over the past three years, New Factor has started introducing differentiating products. This is how the partnership with Wonderful Pistachios was born, a company from California that, thanks to its natural and flavored products, enabled the creation of a true 'brand'. In April 2022, the Wonderful offer introduced two products in addition to the Roasted&Salted variety - Barbecue and Salt&Pepper. The latter two are truly unique and we believe they can open up a new market area. Wonderful data in fact revealed that, in other countries, the cannibalization with products in shells is practically absent as shelled products are aimed to different consumers.
Alessandro Annibali and Francesco Perego
FP: What will be the leading channels?
FPE: The big retail chain and the Travel Retail channel remain leading for Wonderful. Products are placed both on the selves and on special display stands in case of promotional offers such as the one dedicated to the Giro d'Italia that is currently starting all over the domestic territory, as the company is an official sponsor.
FP: What is Wonderful's positioning on the international market and how is it managing the current procurement problems?
FPE: Wonderful is a global player, a global leader in the pistachio world with a complete vertical integration based on the almost 41 thousand hectares in the Central Valley. This ensures complete control of the supply and of the quality standard.
For further information
New Factor Spa
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www.newfactor.it