Sausages, salamis, tactics

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/10.

Product sizes tailored to consumer demand

In the salami segment the downward trend in average prices is largely due to increased demand for cheaper products.

Henriett Szabó-Spanyol
senior brand menedzser
Bonafarm

 “More and more consumers are choosing “salami-like” products (which according to the Hungarian Food Book can’t be called salami)”,

comments Henriett Szabó-Spanyol, senior brand manager at Bonafarm Zrt. (PICK brand). 

András Benkő
sales and marketing director
Kaiser Food

András Benkő, sales and marketing director at Kaiser Food Kft. emphasises that demand for larger, more economical packages of branded products has augmented.

Tamás Szalai
marketing manager
Gyulahús

The sausage market is also experiencing the rise of lower-priced products, according to Tamás Szalai, marketing manager at Gyulahús Kft.

“The margin freeze introduced by the government doesn’t refer to sausage and liver patée, and we are feeling the negative effects of this as manufacturers”,

he adds.

Less fat, international flavours

Bukovenszki Beáta
head of domestic
sales
Gallicoop

“Consumer behaviour is more flexible when it comes to buying sausage, while demand for salami is more balanced. Interest in the premium segment moderated, but it didn’t disappear: products with more distinctive flavours are still in demand”,

reveals Beáta Bukovenszki, head of the domestic sales at Gallicoop Zrt.

The company’s innovations are driven by consumer demand, health consciousness and sustainability.

This year Gallicoop plans to introduce new, reduced-fat turkey sausages with international flavours and they are also testing environmentally friendly packaging solutions.

The rise of self-service continued in salami sales

Activities with added value

The most important task for PICK is to strengthen the brand in terms of brand equity, awareness and accessibility. They are constantly looking for opportunities for value-added activities that always generate a lot of interest among shoppers. PICK Winter Salami is a Hungarian specialty that represents a special level in Hungarian salami production. One of the PICK brand’s goals is to appeal to the younger generation in a style and on platforms that are familiar to them. The company would like to emphasise that those who choose PICK salamis are making a good choice.

Conscious brand building, market-oriented innovations

The year 2025 brought outstanding results for Kaiser Food on the domestic salami market, mainly thanks to the strong marketing support for their two leading brands, Csabai and Kaiser. “The 2025 results make it clear that conscious brand building, innovation and market-oriented innovations play a decisive role in the success of the salami market”, says András Benkő. The new 55g sliced salami portfolio is well suited to changing consumer demand and has strongly contributed to the good sales. Kaiser Food has established close ties with retail chains for developing private label products.

Alongside the growing popularity of lower-priced products, demand for larger, more economical packaging of branded items has also increased

Marketing to future regular customers

Gyulahús has the main mission of making consumers aware that the company manufactures its products in the excellent quality characteristic of Gyulai sausage and – unlike many other liver patées – Gyulai liver patée is a product made from Hungarian ingredients and manufactured in Hungary. Their innovation goal is to make sausage consumption trendier among members of Generation Z. The company wishes to achieve this by using the communication channels where Generation Z is present. They are also preparing with new products for the second half of 2025.

Reputation is the best promotion

Ozsvárt Kolbászműhely targets a completely additive-free segment, using nothing but lean meat, spices and sea salt in its sausages.

“In general it can be said that consumers are spending more thoughtfully. Consumers are trying to eat more consciously and attention is shifting from large-scale industrial products to smaller, family-run manufacturers and primary producers”,

notes Gábor Ozsvárt, founder and owner of Ozsvárt Kolbászműhely.

The company makes more than 50 types of sausage and the products are trademarked. They are promoted by word of mouth in top-gastronomy circles.