Christmas starts in the kitchen

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/8-9.

Food manufacturers and retailers aren’t only adapting to the growing seasonal demand, but also to the increasingly sophisticated needs of consumers: health-conscious, quick-to-prepare, plant-based or even nostalgic products are entering the spotlight.

Christmas is the busiest time of the year for home baking – this is when people pay particular attention to ingredients and accessories

Baking with new momentum

Christmas is traditionally the time for home baking. Consumer decisions are influenced by factors such as cost awareness, a commitment to healthy living and ideas found online. Dr. Oetker is responding to these constantly changing expectations with new innovations and creative marketing solutions.

Csilla Antal-Kutassy
senior product manager
Dr. Oetker
Magyarország

“Last season was a great success: in addition to traditional baking ingredients such as baking powder, vanilla sugar and yeast, there was also a lot of interest in festive novelties such as decorative sugars and coloured icings”,

informs Csilla Antal-Kutassy, senior brand manager of Dr. Oetker Magyarország Élelmiszer Kft.

Plant-based innovations

Zsolt Babják
head of sales
Flora Food Hungary

Zsolt Babják, head of sales at Flora Food Hungary Kft. points out that demand for baking margarine surges during Christmas.

“Holidays are particularly important in Hungarian households. According to NIQ data, baking margarine sales almost double in this period compared to an average month. In 2024 sales in December accounted for about 20% of the total annual volume”,

says Zsolt Babják.

More and more people are choosing the 100% plant-based Rama Butter Alternative as a conscious and sustainable option. It is vegan, gluten-free and also ideal for those who are sensitive to milk and lactose. The latest innovations include the plant-based Rama Crema whipping cream and cooking cream (31% whipping cream and 15% cooking cream).

In December, the sales of baking margarine nearly double compared to an average month

Strong holiday period

At Foodnet Zrt. last year’s holiday season surpassed expectations: although the total butter category showed only a moderate 5% increase in volume in December, it grew by 32% in value if compared to the same period of the previous year. As for the Lurpak brand, it performed exceptionally well: according to NIQ data, volume sales were up 64% and value sales augmented by 55%.

Andrea Gódor
senior trade marketing
manager
Foodnet

“Two different trends prevailed at the same time: price-sensitive consumers tended to choose private label products, while our premium, high-quality brand also showed significant growth”,

explained senior trade marketing manager Andrea Gódor.

Seasonal “in-out” products consistently deliver excellent results during the holiday season. One reason for this is that the 250g and 500g sizes – compared to the original 200g variants – are better suited to the increased consumer demand.

Tradition and efficiency

Melinda Dorogi
CEO
Celldömölki Malom

According to Melinda Dorogi, the CEO of Celldömölki Malom, there was a subdued shopping mood in the categories related to home baking and cooking during the 2024 holiday season, owing to the inflation and growing price sensitivity.

“We are cautiously optimistic about this season. Consumer interest is expected to rise slightly, especially in the specialty and premium segments, such as flour mixes like Foszlós Kalács (for sweetbread) and Omlós Pogácsa (for savoury scones). Clean ingredients, additive-free versions and alternative raw materials have become important. We always keep this in mind when developing products, so our product selection is free from artificial additives”,

says the CEO.

Experience in the kitchen

György Simon
CEO
ABO Holding

György Simon, the CEO of ABO Holding Zrt. calls attention to the economic and social challenges of recent years that have had a significant impact on consumer behaviour. Impulse purchases are increasingly being replaced by deliberate decisions: buyers study labels carefully and prefer products that are free from additives and contain natural ingredients. While interest in traditional white flours has declined, the popularity of gluten-free varieties is steadily growing.

“Christmas is a period when emotions dominate and cooking and baking together are popular in families. At this time of the year shoppers are more inclined to choose higher quality flours or special ingredients”,

informs György Simon.

He adds that more and more people are looking for pre-mixed flour blends and quick-to-prepare cake bases.

Ready-to-use solutions

Natur-Food Kft. offers a wide range of baking accessories.

Tamás Mezei
head of quality management
Natur-Food

“We have seen a shift in the dynamics of the fall-winter season in recent years. Previously demand for dried fruits and nuts started between 20 August and the beginning of September, but this period is now significantly shorter and more intense. As the domestic market is characterised by price-sensitive consumer behaviour, we expect interest in promotional and lower-priced products to continue to grow”,

says head of quality management Tamás Mezei.

In the Christmas season dried fruits and oilseeds are the most popular items from the company’s product range. Their mixes offer ready-to-use products, developed based on decades of market experience.

International trends like plant-based nutrition and the clean label approach are gaining significant traction in Hungary

Without compromises

Éva Novák
co-owner
Nobilis

Éva Novák, co-owner of Nobilis Zrt. tells us that Christmas is clearly the peak season for the company.

“Our most active customers are families with young children, people with special dietary requirements and environmentally conscious consumers. For them not only the origin but also the ingredients, packaging and food safety are very important. A growing number of young adults are choosing our products, because they don’t want to compromise on taste or quality”,

underlines Éva Novák.

Last season smaller, practical products and premium chocolate coated dried fruits were popular. They have several new products in the pipeline for this year, with a focus on health-conscious, affordable snacks and innovative flavour combinations.

While demand for dried fruits used to pick up between August 20 and early September, this period has now become significantly shorter and more intense

Guest writer:
Dorottya Brenner
consultant
YouGov

In 2024 more than half of households purchased baking powder for home use. Even more people bought vanilla sugar, sugar or some kind of sweetener, and the vast majority of households purchased flour. BL55 wheat flour remains the most popular, accounting for 61% of flour sales. An exciting new segment has emerged in the vanilla sugar category in recent years: sugar-free vanilla “sugar” – it has found its way into significantly more households over the past three years.