Cereal wonders for health and a flavour experience

Fanni  Bereczki Dorottya
brand manager
Nestlé Hungária

Dorottya Fanni Bereczki, Nestlé Hungária Kft.’s brand manager told our magazine that there was a little growth in the cereal market in the first 6 months of 2022. “Value sales climbed a little due to the price increase, but volume sales dropped” – she added.

Hajni Bedő
marketing manager
Cerbona

Hajni Bedő, Cerbona Élelmiszergyártó Kft.’s marketing manager: “Because of the great and unexpected increases in the raw material, packaging and energy prices, market players also had to set higher prices, quickly adapting to the new situation.”

Nóra Nagy
category manager
Orbico

Nóra Nagy, Orbico’s category manager explained that working from home during and after the pandemic made breakfast a more important meal than before. “We also see that demand is growing for healthier foods, so shoppers are choosing muesli and natural products in shops” – said the category manager.

Dr. Barnabás Kállai-Szabó
head of research and development
Cornexi Food

Dr Barnabás Kállai-Szabó, head of research and development at Cornexi Food Kft.: “August and September are strong months for cereal bars, this is the time when households and workplaces fill up the drawers and bags with snacks eaten on the go.”

Zsolt Babocsai
co-founder
Viblance Hungary

Zsolt Babocsai, co-founder of Viblance Hungary Kft.: “In addition to the global inflation, the domestic cereal market was also hit hard by the modification of the public health product tax (NETA) as of 1 July. On the one hand, the new rules aren’t clear on which products and to what extent are affected by the new tax; on the other hand, the prices of the products in question will definitely increase.”

Variations for every age group

Gyöngyvér Kiss
senior product manager
Dr. Oetker

Gyöngyvér Kiss, Dr. Oetker Kft.’s senior product manager: “Fruit flavours are still very popular, especially raspberry and forest fruits. Another trend is buying low-sugar and no added sugar products.” Cornexi Food Kft.’s expert informed that the main target group of cereal products is women, as typically they aren’t just buying for themselves but also for other family members. Viblance Hungary Kft.’s products are popular among consumers living with gluten sensitivity or lactose intolerance, vegans, people following a plant-based diet and parents who wish to serve their children a healthy breakfast.

Nestlé Hungária Kft.’s Nesquik and Cini Minis products target young children, while the

Fitness and Cheerios OAT brands are for adults. The company’s experience is that consumer demand is on the rise for cheap branded and private label products, plus shoppers are hunting for promotions. Orbico’s main customers are families, more precisely children, who love sweet products in colourful packaging. The other main group who purchase Orbico products is health-conscious shoppers hungry for tasty, high quality products.

Exciting new innovations in every category

From Nestlé Hungária Kft.’s product selection, the most popular are still breakfast cereals for children: Nesquik, Cini Minis and Chocapic. Demand is growing fast for Fitness Granolas too – these are available in Chocolate, Honey and Cranberry variants. Muesli bars have become more popular recently, they can be bought in Chocolate, Chocolate-Banana and Sour Cherry flavours. A few months ago Fitness cereal bars hit the shops: Fitness Cookies&Cream and Fitness Dark Choco. At the end of August Nestlé will roll out a fourth muesli bar, Strawberry. Orbico’s top products are breakfast cereals for children, especially Froot loops and Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. Demand is on the rise for premium Crunchy mueslis – these are already available in four flavours. This summer brought the debut of two new muesli flavours, fruit and chocolate.

More and more customers not only mind the shelf-price, but also the price per kilogram

Tailor-made innovations

Shoppers like Cerbona’s cereal bars the most from the company’s portfolio, and their favourite is the Gluten-free Chocolate and Sour Cherry Bar. The company’s marketing manager broke the news that this year the Cerbona Vegan range reached full distribution; from these products the most innovative is the vegetable muesli bar. Consumers can now also buy vegan granolas and Selection granolas.

Cornexi Food Kft. put Zabrudi™ products on the market last year. The product range won in the food category of Trade magazin’s Inno d’Or – Innovation of the Year 2022 competition. Sales are developing nicely, as the company has managed to find those product benefits that shoppers appreciate in oat products: the filled oat bar can substitute the dairy snack “túró rudi”, chocolate or wafer bars, it is really tasty but doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge.

The demand for Low-sugar content has been increasing

Innovation work never stops

Viblance Hungary Kft.’s classic Pecan Nut Granola can’t be beaten in the popularity contest. This summer’s biggest hit is Cocoberry Granola, with unique elder flavouring. A few months ago the company appeared on store shelves with Granola bars – they are special because they combine the best characteristics of fruit bars and muesli bars. They are made without fructose syrup or added sugar, their sweetness comes from dates. The company’s latest innovation is White Choco Super Porridge. Dr. Oetker Kft.’s experience is that today’s two biggest trends are protein-enriched and vegan products. This year the company is adding Protein and Vegan porridges to its Vitalis range. When developing these, they paid special attention to high fibre content, magnesium intake and delicious taste. //

This article is available for reading on pp 106-108 of Trade magazin 2022.08-09.