Once again this year, the leading French cooperative Blue Whale will be exhibiting its value offer at the Fruit Attraction trade fair from 8 to 10 October in Madrid. On this occasion, it is doing so with a 130m2 stand in Hall 6 Hall C07, and a clear vision for the future: to place consumer desires at the heart of its development plans.
‘Our aim is to create value for both our growers and our buyers: wholesalers, supermarkets and greengrocers. However, for all this to make sense, we cannot forget one key element: consumers’, says Bruno Bertheloz, General Manager at Blue Whale. ‘Consumer tastes have changed in recent years and the industry has not always been able to respond in time. It is time to put the consumer at the heart of our business,’ he adds.
To this end, the French group has carried out an exhaustive study of consumer needs and trends in its main European, Asian and American markets. The analysis of these results has given rise to the future strategy of the French corporation which is now being presented at Fruit Attraction.
One of its objectives is to offer varieties that reconcile consumers with the pleasure of tasting them. To do this, Blue Whale has re-organised its apple portfolio by segmenting them according to the taste profiles of its consumers all over the world. The crunchy Envy, the sweet Candine and the surprising Kissabel are its modern varieties adapted to new tastes. For its part, Coeur de Reine offers a balanced profile, perfect for the traditional, more mature French palate. These and other varieties complete a portfolio with a total of 30 apple varieties available.
Blue Whale also offers a wide range of other fruits. Premium pears such as Angys, QTee and Fred; green and yellow kiwis; novel plums such as Métis; and seedless Apiran table grapes are the focus of its new diversification strategy for the time being. ‘Our customers around the world recognise Blue Whale as a leading apple specialist. However, many are unaware that we can offer them so much more,’ says Bertheloz. ‘We want to be their partner in making their shelves more dynamic, not only for apples, but for all premium fruit’, he concludes.
Major commitment to sustainable innovation
In addition to its varietal innovation, Blue Whale also stands out for its relentless continuous improvement, always aimed at more sustainable business management. ‘We have defined five key areas to meet the major economic and environmental challenges of our time: 1) continuous innovation, 2) diversification and transfer, 3) reduction of the carbon footprint, 4) development of high-temperature resistant varieties, and 5) efficient water management,’ explains Bertheloz. ‘We are not only committed to change, we want to lead it,’ he adds.
Blue Whale's commitment to sustainability is evident in its (Re)Gènèration Fruit project. Launched internationally earlier this year, this ambitious programme has a total budget of 12 million and is co-financed by the French government. During the five-year project, Blue Whale and its five partners aim to test and combine innovative technologies to ensure the agro-ecological transition of the apple sector.
