HLB Specialties is seeing increased interest in the tropical category, as consumers continue to seek new and exciting foods to add to their diets.
Melissa Hartmann de Barros, director of communications for the Fort Lauderdale, FL-based distributor of tropical produce items, said interest in tropicals spiked three years ago during the COVID pandemic, as consumers were confined to their homes and sought diversions.
“People were willing to experiment more with foods, and tropicals was one area that drew a lot of interest,” she said. “And now with things back to normal, the level of interest remains high, which is great for the category and great for us as a company.”
Hartmann de Barros said the high consumer interest in tropicals is leading retailers to be on the lookout for the “next big thing” in the category, she said.
“Our retail clients are always asking us to find more exotic items, and we are even getting a lot of calls directly from consumers asking about where to find our products, so it is gratifying that we are considered an authority in the category,” she said.
That authoritative status has been well earned by HLB, which has been specializing in the tropicals category since its founding in 1989. During that time, the company has raised the profile of papayas and has introduced various specialty items to the U.S. market.
“We pride ourselves on constantly being on the forefront with specialty produce,” said Hartmann de Barros. “It takes a lot of work and is not easy bringing something to market that is unknown to consumers.”
Hartmann de Barros said HLB was the first to bring retail packs of rambutan to market, debuting 12-ounce clamshells in 2015. It also developed a retail presentation for dragonfruit, another exotic item, and recently added guava to its retail lineup. For these and all new items, she said education is the most important factor for gaining traction.
“It’s so important to educate consumers on how to use these fruits, since they might not be familiar with them,” said Hartmann de Barros. “We’ll often include information on our packaging about proper use and handling of these products, as well as notes about the flavors. Also, retail demos are extremely effective when introducing a new item. All of these are key parts of our strategy to gain exposure for these exotic items that results in repeat purchases.”
This summer, some of the exotic items HLB will be offering include rambutan, mangosteen, dragonfruit, lychee and Florida-grown passion fruit.
“Most people are not too familiar with mangosteen, because it is exotic and somewhat expensive as it takes eight years before you can start cropping it, but it is such a delicious fruit with a nice tropical flavor that is a cross between citrus and pear,” she said. “It is known as the ‘Queen of Fruits’ in Asia, and we have it in season now through the end of summer, sourcing it from Mexico.”
Dragonfruit is another item that is gaining popularity, according to Hartmann de Barros.
“We are offering both the white pulp and red pulp dragonfruit, which is grown in Ecuador,” she said. “Most consumers are familiar with the red, but that has a more mild flavor. Yellow dragonfruit with the white flesh has a sweeter flavor and is preferred by consumers. Once they try it, they tend to stick with it.”
Hartmann de Barros said HLB receives several containers of dragonfruit per week, and the price is coming down to the point that people are willing to buy it more regularly.
Guava is another relatively new item for HLB, and Hartmann de Barros said it is doing extremely well so far.
“It’s a bit of a surprise, because it is an item that is more popular with the Hispanic and Asian communities, but North Americans are also quite familiar with guava because they know it from juices and pastries, so they are eager to try the fruit,” she said. “And it is so fragrant in the produce department that it draws people in.”
Connecting with retail clients at trade shows is another important strategy for HLB, according to Hartmann de Barros, who said HLB’s sister company in Germany, HLB Tropical Food, will be exhibiting at Fruit Attraction in Madrid in early October, where she also will be in attendance to meet with growers and clients. Later that month, Hartmann de Barros and her U.S.-based team from HLB Specialties will exhibit at the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, CA.
Prior to those events, she said HLB will have representatives walking the show floor at the Organic Produce Summit in Monterey, CA, connecting with existing clients and looking to make new contacts.
Among the organic items HLB currently offers are large papayas, yellow dragonfruit, ginger and a small rambutan program.
Overall, Hartmann de Barros said HLB remains optimistic about the growth potential of the specialty produce category.
“Demand for our exotic items remains high despite the economic downturn,” she said. “We’ll have to see how the next few months evolve, but we expect interest to continue to be strong.”
Source: The Produce News
https://theproducenews.com/tropicals/hlb-specialties-working-meet-increasing-demand-tropical-items
