More cooking done at home is both an opportunity and a challenge for pasta

Average price on the pasta market has been stagnating since 2008 and private labels have achieved a 45 percent market share. Import is not significant and egg-content is practically unchanged. According to Norbert Káhn, commercial director at Gyermely Zrt., there is a price competition going on and quality only comes second. This trend is rather unfavourable, since delivery prices are decoupled from production costs; this might lead to the closure of manufacturing companies. The head of Mary-ker Kft’s National Key Account, Anita Reinwald Hajduné is of the opinion that small producers are the biggest victims of the crisis, but those who are brave enough to take risks (like they did with this year’s innovations) will make ends meet despite the recession. Mary-ker came out with two new product ranges; their motto was “Eat consciously”. Their Korona durum pasta is enriched with omega3 linseed oil, while Korona 4-egg is made with spelt added. The structure of the pasta market changes slowly, most shoppers are reluctant to try new products. Péter Gnám, the commercial director of Soós Tészta Kft. tells us that within the different categories demand turns toward products with lower egg content. Sales are concentrating in stores with larger floor space – the promotion campaigns of large retail chains are hard to compete with. János Puskás, the sales director of Famíliatészta Kft. says that changes in retail channels do not affect product selection, for instance “home-style” pastas hold on to their position. Research indicates that pasta in general remains popular, since it is cheap, healthy and easy to prepare. Norbert Káhn adds that restaurants order less pasta, but cafeterias buy more. The growing importance of home cooking is supposed to do good to pasta sales. János Puskás thinks that this is a good opportunity to build brand loyalty, but keeping consumers in the long run is impossible without high quality products. Gyermely Zrt. reacted to market changes with two new product ranges: one-egg Donna Pasta and a revamped durum range under the name Vita Pasta. Changes affected both design and product selection. In the autumn exclusive Gyermelyi products will appear in the market. They developed an artisan pasta that belongs to the premium segment in both content value and packaging: lasagne and tagliatelle are made from excellent durum flour, with 4 fresh eggs added per kilogram. Mary-ker is a 100 percent Hungarian family enterprise, emphasizes Anita Reinwald Hajduné. They focus on small-packaged pasta and keep an eye on the HORECA market as well. Korona product range is entitled to use the Quality Food From Hungary logo. She thinks that the consumer must be made interested in choosing Korona pasta: communication messages on the box can play a crucial role in this. Soós Tészta’s main profile is “home-style”, high quality 8-egg soup pastas. Péter Gnám tells us that their products are popular among those who like to eat well; therefore their innovations also aim at special products like ”boglyas” and “fektetett” vermicelli or “lebbencs”. The company wishes to strengthen its presence in the gastro segment. Famíliatészta Kft. decided to manufacture new products for which there is demand but only a few companies produce them – reveals János Puskás.