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Successful Overseas VIP Campaign
Latin America welcomes the Club apples
Dynamic sales since the beginning of the campaign, thanks to new contacts and intensive preparatory work during the summer, with targeted visits to established and potential customers. Joachim Rabensteiner, Sales Manager at VIP, takes stock of the situation with regard to foreign markets.
18/04/2024
Out of Europe, the target markets for VIP are Latin America and India. The South and Central American sales campaign aimed at Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and Brazil, which started at the end of September, ended at the end of March, when supplies of apples from Argentina and Chile began. In these countries, it is the red apples that have appeal: Gala variety is at the top, followed by Fuji and Red Delicious. For a few years now, however, Golden apples are also starting to find their market. Rabensteiner points out: "This campaign marked an important milestone: Central and South America started to introduce some Club apples and our team succeeded in placing Kanzi® and Ambrosia™".
As the campaign in the Americas has come to an end, VIP is now working on the Asian markets, India in particular, with satisfactory results.
This is in spite of the continuing Suez and Red Sea crisis, which implies the circumnavigation of Africa with a transit time of about 15 days longer to reach Indian ports. The Sales Manager of VIP confirms "Despite such a critical economic situation, the start of the Asian campaign was positive. Thanks to the right contacts, gained over time, and effective negotiations by our sales team, the red apple assortment has already been fully placed".
Out of Europe, the target markets for VIP are Latin America and India. The South and Central American sales campaign aimed at Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and Brazil, which started at the end of September, ended at the end of March, when supplies of apples from Argentina and Chile began. In these countries, it is the red apples that have appeal: Gala variety is at the top, followed by Fuji and Red Delicious. For a few years now, however, Golden apples are also starting to find their market. Rabensteiner points out: "This campaign marked an important milestone: Central and South America started to introduce some Club apples and our team succeeded in placing Kanzi® and Ambrosia™".
As the campaign in the Americas has come to an end, VIP is now working on the Asian markets, India in particular, with satisfactory results.
This is in spite of the continuing Suez and Red Sea crisis, which implies the circumnavigation of Africa with a transit time of about 15 days longer to reach Indian ports. The Sales Manager of VIP confirms "Despite such a critical economic situation, the start of the Asian campaign was positive. Thanks to the right contacts, gained over time, and effective negotiations by our sales team, the red apple assortment has already been fully placed".
In about a month, VIP will close the Overseas campaign and will focus on Europe. Exports of Val Venosta apples to European countries have started with great momentum and the market proved ready to absorb VIP's supply. Val Venosta apples impress with high product quality. The first is related to its geographical position, the highest homogeneous cultivation area in Europe (a privileged position, which has become even more important now that climatic conditions are changing towards higher and higher temperatures).
Thanks to the altitude, apples from Val Venosta valley stand out in terms of colour, crispness and a good shelf-life and are particularly suitable for export because they maintain their quality during the journey. The extremely wide VIP assortment in terms of variety also contributes to the product quality: there is an apple for every period and every taste. Rabensteiner adds: "Now that all red varieties have been channelled in Europe, we can concentrate on Golden Delicious, our most important variety, which is available 12 months a year in a high quality”.
The restructuring of the VIP team and structure undertaken two years ago, which moved sales from being managed by individual cooperatives to being managed centrally by the Association, has enabled the sales staff to exert a more intense and effective presence in the markets and to be closer to the customers.
Joachim Rabensteiner concludes "This has resulted in better relationships and in acquiring new customers, as much in the Americas and Asia as in Europe. We will continue to work with commitment and passion day after day in the coming months in order to offer our retail partners a first-class service and a high-quality product.”
Thanks to the altitude, apples from Val Venosta valley stand out in terms of colour, crispness and a good shelf-life and are particularly suitable for export because they maintain their quality during the journey. The extremely wide VIP assortment in terms of variety also contributes to the product quality: there is an apple for every period and every taste. Rabensteiner adds: "Now that all red varieties have been channelled in Europe, we can concentrate on Golden Delicious, our most important variety, which is available 12 months a year in a high quality”.
The restructuring of the VIP team and structure undertaken two years ago, which moved sales from being managed by individual cooperatives to being managed centrally by the Association, has enabled the sales staff to exert a more intense and effective presence in the markets and to be closer to the customers.
Joachim Rabensteiner concludes "This has resulted in better relationships and in acquiring new customers, as much in the Americas and Asia as in Europe. We will continue to work with commitment and passion day after day in the coming months in order to offer our retail partners a first-class service and a high-quality product.”
