They can spice up grilling!
The careful choice of dressings, sauces and seasonings is a key factor in the success of a barbecue. Last year’s record inflation set back volume sales in all categories, but to different degrees.
This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2024/5
Tímea Szűcs-Bundik, brand experience manager of Unilever Magyarország Kft.:
![](https://trademagazin.cdn.webgarden.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Szucs-Bundik-Timea_fot_opt-e1713452537309-244x300.jpeg)
Tímea Szűcs-Bundik
brand experience
manager
Unilever Magyarország
“Although the impact of last year’s record high inflation was reflected in the decline in volumes, in terms of proportions the volume drop is definitely smaller compared to the rate of inflation. This shows that dressings have become a household staple. As a consequence of the price hikes, the market has continued to grow dynamically in value with a double-digit sales growth in 2023, just like in previous years”.
As for market structure, the well-known and popular brands managed to grow despite the fact that private label sales increased significantly.
Delicious flavours from quality ingredients
This year Unilever keeps strengthening the Hellmann’s range of barbecue sauces with flavours that really go well with the dishes that are popular in Hungary. Innovations include a cucumber tartar sauce, a sweet chilli sauce, and they will support the unbroken popularity of burgers with a spicy burger sauce enriched with cucumber and onion pieces. Globus sauces get a new, more youthful look in 2024.
![](https://trademagazin.cdn.webgarden.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Bazso-Rita-Univer-2024_opt-e1707660791415-249x300.jpeg)
Rita Bazsó
marketing director
Univer Product
In sales of various types of wet condiments, 2023 brought a few-percent drop in volume, with the exception of mustard, where the plunge was bigger, informs Rita Bazsó, marketing director of Univer Product Zrt.
“Univer stood out in branded product sales, producing significant growth in the mayonnaise and ketchup categories, while maintaining its position in the mustard market”,
she points out.
Although consumer demand has shifted slightly towards larger product sizes over the past few years, because these offer better value for money, each format and size has its own customer base.
![](https://trademagazin.cdn.webgarden.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PT5_0782_opt-1024x679.jpeg)
Familiar and popular brands have been able to grow despite the significant increase in the sales of private label products
A successful brand extension
Recently Univer has been focusing on the Erős Pista brand, which was successfully combined with core products such as mayonnaise, ketchup and garlic cream. What is more, Univer has also established manufacturing partnerships resulting in the launch of Erős Pista flavoured pinched noodles, pork liver and Christmas candy. Erős Pista has also showed up in the burgers of the biggest fast food chain. Koch’s Torma Kft. is expecting a better BBQ season than last year.
Key account manager Zsolt Bódis:
“The BBQ category is producing the biggest growth, as the segment is regularly expanded by manufacturers. Shoppers who buy these products typically don’t switch to cheaper condiments and dressings, as high quality products also come at affordable prices”. In 2024 the company rolls out the new KOCH’s Green Herb salad dressing and KOCH’s Grillissimo and KOCH’s Diablo tomato sauces.
“So far our marketing strategy has proved to be successful, but it is important to be receptive to new ideas and opportunities both in ATL and BTL”,
adds key account manager Gábor Mika.
![](https://trademagazin.cdn.webgarden.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PT5_0774_opt-1024x679.jpeg)
The BBQ category has seen considerable growth as manufacturers continue to expand it
Hard to compete with private labels
Zoltán Hegedűs, commercial director of Kalocsai Fűszerpaprika Zrt. predicts that this year the private label products of retailers will take the lead once again.
![Hegedűs Zoltán-Kalocsai Fűszerpaprika](https://trademagazin.cdn.webgarden.io/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Hegedus-Zoltan-Kalocsa_opt-e1616146069425-228x300.jpeg)
Zoltán Hegedűs
commercial director
Kalocsai Fűszerpaprika
“You can’t compete with the two to two and a half times cheaper shelf price of private label products, so nine out of ten people take them off the shelf”,
explains the commercial director. His view is that in the wet condiment segment, apart from the two classic Hungarian brands and PL products, less well-known manufacturers are finding it difficult to get by, even in the light of the assortment reductions made last year. Kalocsai Fűszerpaprika Zrt. is in a difficult situation in this respect and they can only create new innovations in private label production at the moment. They would already be happy if they could at least maintain the current product selection.
It sells better in large quantities
The “official” summer barbecue season is starting earlier and lasting longer: outdoor grilling is slowly becoming part of our everyday lives, and it is no longer just a summer activity, says Henrietta Csicselyné Biró, sales director of Thymos Hungária Kft.
![Csicselyné Biró Henriett-Thymos Hungária](https://trademagazin.cdn.webgarden.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Csicselyn%C3%A9-Bir%C3%B3-Henrie_opt_c-226x300.jpg)
Henrietta Csicselyné Biró
sales director
Thymos Hungária
“Just like previous years, last year brought bigger demand for larger and more economical products, so year after year we sell more of our Big Pack format”,
informs the sales director.
Their spice mixes and seasonings are the perfect choice for barbecues, and from these the roast chicken, barbecue and American potato seasoning salts are also available in resealable Big Pack format. More and more consumers use THYMOS products, as they get premium quality at affordable prices.
![](https://trademagazin.cdn.webgarden.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_20240410_115413_opt-1024x461.jpeg)
Consumers tend to buy larger units as holidays approach or for summer barbecue events
Spice marinades are coming up
Lacikonyha Magyarország ended 2023 on a positive note in terms of spice and spice marinade sales, and this was especially true for the barbecue season.
![Czugéber Nóra-Lacikonyha](https://trademagazin.cdn.webgarden.io/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Czug%C3%A9ber-N%C3%B3ra_opt-e1619526867566-236x300.jpeg)
Nóra Czugéber
senior brand manager
Lacikonyha Magyarország
“As these products have an excellent price-value ratio, we have been able to deal with the business challenges of inflation more easily and achieved growth in both volume and sales”,
says Nóra Czugéber, senior brand manager of Lacikonyha Magyarország Kft.
The company launched several new products last year. In 2024 they are working on improving recipes, introducing new flavours and the packaging design of spices and spice blends are revamped. Lacikonyha has removed the added sodium glutamate from the recipes of all our products. In 2024 they are launching a liquid seasoning developed specifically for pickling vegetables. In the first half of the year 5 new spice blends hit the shops, in 80g and 100g size.
![](https://trademagazin.cdn.webgarden.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1712842959199_opt-1024x461.jpeg)
Data of the first two months of this year show that the dressings category has found itself again
Expanding the consumer base with free-from products
Salad specialist Eisberg is looking for ways to complement its salad offering all the time. Dressing is one of their main complementary products, with increasingly promising sales figures year on year.
![](https://trademagazin.cdn.webgarden.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Szalai-Judit-Eisberg_opt-scaled-e1713453219867-227x300.jpeg)
Judit Szalai
sales manager
Eisberg Hungary
Their Thousand Island, Caesar, yogurt and French garlic dressings are preservative- and gluten-free, but they aren’t lactose-free. So far only the Oriental olive oil, apple cider vinegar and wine vinegar based dressings have represented the free-from category, but now Eisberg wants to build on this line with new lactose- and additive-free vegan salad oils, in order to conquer new consumer groups. This May the company will put cold-pressed, natural salad oils on the market in 3 flavours: pumpkin seed oil-roasted pumpkin seed oil, Turkish hazelnut oil-pistachio oil, and a lime oil blend.
![](https://trademagazin.cdn.webgarden.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_20240410_120636_opt-1024x461.jpeg)
In terms of channels, discounters are gaining ground, mainly at the expense of hypermarkets
Flavour testing
Maresi Foodbroker Kft. didn’t see weaker purchasing power in certain product categories last year (e.g. with sauces).
![](https://trademagazin.cdn.webgarden.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Monori-Anett_Maresi-Fo_opt-scaled-e1707660943777-216x300.jpeg)
Anett Monori
brand manager
Maresi Foodbroker
“We are in the lucky position of working with strong brands in the sauce market, such as Maille Dijon mustard and Kikkoman soy sauce, which have relatively few (high-quality) alternatives among private label products”,
says brand manager Anett Monori.
They were able to produce a big volume sales growth in the Dijon mustard segment compared to the previous year. Maresi is considering the launch of several different new soy sauce formats and is constantly testing new flavours – recommended by manufacturers – among their customers, to see which would be received well in the Hungarian market. In the mustard segment they will introduce new formats already this year. //
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