Magazine: Tasty holidays!

Market players in the spice category are preparing for the end-of-year holiday season with great fervour. This is the time of the year when families diverge from the routine dishes eaten throughout the year, plus the frequent arrival of guests makes it necessary to prepare cakes and other kinds of desserts too.

Lilla Soósné Nádaskay
group brand manager
Nestlé Hungária Kft.

We learned from Lilla Soósné Nádaskay, Nestlé Hungária Kft.’s group brand manager that the most popular classic flavours are still the best-selling products. The same is true for the end of the year, when many consumers are using Maggi chicken and pork spice mixes for cooking the holiday dishes. She told that planned buying is the most typical. Shoppers like 30-40g paper bag products the most – these can be both branded and private label spices. Hypermarkets sell a large selection of spice products, while discount supermarkets usually offer the most popular spices and mixes. Among Maggi products consumers can also find exciting flavours such as piquant chicken. However, the company’s experience is that the end-of-year period is the time when spice companies should focus on classic variants that Hungarians already know and like.

János Adorján
sales director
Szilasfood Kft.

János Adorján, sales director of Szilasfood Kft. talked to Trade magazin about the dominance of mono spices, but also mentioned the growing popularity of grill mixes. The company’s sales keep growing, since their products are characterised by a good price-value ratio. Szilasfood Kft.’s innovation work concentrates on the health trend: at the end of the summer they are going to roll out the Lucullus Natural Condiment range. It will be marketed in a practical resealable bag in 50-, 150- and 350-gram size. This product will contain 95 percent vegetables and spices, and it will be free from additives, colouring agents and flavour enhancers. Other new products this year include 100g resealable-bag Lucullus Ground Black Pepper and 25g Lucullus Smoked Paprika, 20g Lucullus Cayenne Pepper and 15g Lucullus Pepper Mix.

Márta Galácz
managing director
Kotányi Hungária Kft.

Kotányi Hungária Kft.’s managing director Márta Galácz told our magazine that the company focuses on sweet spices at the end of the year – 80 percent of the annual sales of these are realised in November-December. Kotányi’s experience is that sales of spice mixes are developing dynamically. In this category the new products from the company this year are Kotányi Secrets of Burrito and Kotányi Secrets of Tom Kha Gai Soup. In March the company implemented promotion campaigns for Horváth Rozi products, luring shoppers with price reductions and new products in the mono segment. One of this year’s biggest surprises by Kotányi is the BBQ Smokehouse activity at music festivals Volt and Sziget, which involves a food truck, a chef team and a chill out zone.

Dénes Kiss
marketing manager
Dr. Oetker Magyarország Élelmiszer Kft.

Dénes Kiss, marketing manager at Dr. Oetker Magyarország Élelmiszer Kft. informed us that the end-of-year months bring a sales surge for those products of the company that are needed for baking cakes at home. Besides classics such as baking powder or vanilla sugar, cake decoration products are also increasingly popular. A growing number of consumers are buying Bourbon vanilla sugar, Vanilla stick, Vanilla paste and Liquid vanilla products – even though they cost more than the average product, they offer a really special flavour experience too. This is also the time of the year when grated lemon and orange zest products sell well.

Regina Petkó
managing director
Szilas Aroma

Szilas Aroma Kft. manufactures liquid aromas and food colourings. Managing director Regina Petkó spoke to our magazine about how their average sales double at the end of the year. Rum, vanilla and almond are their most popular products. The last few years brought a sales increase in the HoReCa channel for the company. At last Christmas their Mulled Wine, Gingerbread and Coffee aromas were the best-sellers. This autumn the company plans to launch three new products.

Henrietta Csicselyné Biró
commercial director
Thymos Hungária

Henrietta Csicselyné Biró, commercial director of Thymos Hungária opines that the season of traditional pig slaughter dishes starts already before Christmas, therefore sales of black pepper, caraway, marjoram, garlic granules and pimento increase. This is also the time of the year when seasoning pepper sales jump. As for product size, the commercial director mentioned BIG PACK products that are used more and more widely by households as the end of the year is approaching. Thymos sells these in practical resealable upright bag format too. The company’s Konyhatündér condiment is free from sodium glutamate, and they also have a vegetable mix that contains 100-percent vegetable. Thymos also sells premium chocolate powders in resealable upright back packaging. This year the company launched new products, 30g linseed and black sesame seed, plus they came out with Spice bag and Spice bag mix products – these are easy to use, economical, creative and modern.

Nóra Czugéber
brand manager
Lacikonyha Kft.

Nóra Czugéber, Lacikonyha Kft.’s brand manager shed light on the fact that stock cube, condiment and seasoning pepper sales of the company jump at the end of the year. Shoppers show increased demand for both mono spices and spice mixes that must be used when preparing the classic Christmas meat and fish dishes. Consumers are more willing to buy spices and mixes not only in paper bags, but also in small glass jars in this period. Lacikonyha seasoning pepper and Ízmester mustards and spices are in the centre of attention in November-December.