You don't have to be in this produce business too long before figuring out what consumers really want from us. All you have to do is simply watch them shop and listen to what they have to say. Paying attention to consumers reveals all the information needed to satisfy their needs.
Supermarket executives tell their employees that customers want service. Some will say that product quality is all that matters. Others claim customers want clean stores and well-stocked shelves.
I was visiting a store one day with a supermarket owner observing a peach display. The owner said, "Our peaches have been looking great. They have excellent color and size, but we just aren't selling them. I can't figure it out."
I approached the display and examined the product. I picked up the nicest peach I could find, took it into the backroom, and washed it. Then I shared some slices with the owner. We expected a luscious flavor. However, we both agreed that the peaches were too dry and tasteless.
Too often, we primarily concentrate on the basic standards of product like color, shape, size, appearance, and price. Those are very important applications, but the biggest feature that consumer's want in produce is taste. They want flavor in the fruit and vegetables they eat. Handling product that has a desirable taste will take you from a good to an outstanding produce operation.
Why aren't we telling consumers more about taste? Where does the produce industry promote taste? You may think it's happening, but guess again.
I browsed through a number of produce web sites and found very little mentioned about product taste. You would think that most produce web sites would display images of people eating and enjoying the "taste" of produce.
In thumbing through produce industry publications, I couldn't locate any ads with images of a person eating produce. Most photos were only of product.
I also checked supermarket produce ads to see if there were any comments about product taste. Again, nothing mentioned.
Even supermarket produce departments do not specify taste to the consumers. There are no signs informing the customers about the attributes of taste, flavor, and eating enjoyment of a particular item. Sampling has just about gone by the wayside. Nobody in the store wants to take care of those dome-covered plastic sampling units that usually wind up sitting empty on the floor.
The produce industry needs to do more about promoting taste. It needs to be expressed with words and photos. Nothing looks better than to see a picture of a person eating and enjoying the taste of fruits and vegetables.
Our FreshXperts associate, Jelger de Vriend, has developed a unique innovative program called "Taste Radar." It monitors consumer taste and provides detailed evaluations about produce. Go to www.tasteradar.com for full information about this exceptional program.
It's time to bring taste and consumers together.