Magazine: Piquant flavours on the Easter table

Christmas, Easter and the summer barbecue season are the three most important periods in wet condiment (mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, horseradish, etc.) sales. Amarillisz Vlahosz, junior brand manager of Unilever Hungary told our magazine that in the Easter period they sell 1.5 times more products, while sales double before Christmas. Rita Bazsó, marketing manager of Univer Product Zrt. reckons that in the last few years Easter changed a bit: many families stay in a hotel, so they don’t cook at home. Consumers purchased more mayonnaise in 2016 than in 2015 and were also willing to pay a bit more for it. The most important retail channel is hypermarkets when it comes to buying mayonnaise. Mr Vlahosz’s experience is that the medium category is weakening, while the premium and economy segments are getting stronger.

Plastic bottle is the most popular packaging type by far – especially the medium-sized version. In addition to traditional sauces, the popularity of flavoured sauces such as BBQ and Burger is growing. In the spring of 2016 four new Hellmann’s grill sauces were launched and demand for them was way higher than originally expected. Quality and natural ingredients are more and more important in this category as well. In accordance with this trend, in 2015 the company introduced the Hellmann’s brand to the Hungarian market. In the first quarter of 2017 innovative new products will appear on store shelves: Hellmann’s mayonnaise with olive oil, two new sauces will come out in the grill sauce category and a gluten-free Hellmann’s ketchup will also debut. At the end of 2016 Univer Product Zrt.’s ketchup products appeared in shops with a Star Wars-themed packaging design. The new design was backed with an ATL and an in-store campaign, which will be repeated in the Easter period.

IN-FOOD 2000 Kft. is the distributor of Heinz products, sales of which have grown significantly recently. Marketing manager Zsóka Balogh told Trade magazin that from their flavoured ketchup products sales of the hot chilli version developed rapidly in the last few years, but the Heinz honey and chilli BBQ sauces are also more and more popular. Heinz is an innovative brand: just recently they came out with a Light Ketchup and introduced the HP brown sauce range to the Hungarian market. The company also thinks of those consumers who like to try new flavours, to them they offer the Soy and Worchester sauce product lines. Consumer feedback on Heinz mustards has also been positive. Premium quality Haas mustards are available in four flavours in the Hungarian market, representing the Russian, English, Dijon and Bavarian styles. Petra Borsodi, product manager of Ed.Haas Hungaria Kft. informed our magazine that hot flavours sell much better in the Easter period than in the average month. The company’s view is that wider range of consumers will start buy spicy, special and high-quality mustards in the future.

Kalocsai Fűszerpaprika is preparing for the Easter season with a 210g, glass-bottle Kalocsa horseradish with mayonnaise and table horseradish. In the ketchup category they are going to implement a 500g+250g for free promotion – informed sales director György Szántó. The company’s mustard and mayonnaise products will be available in shops in 420g+250g for free format. From this year Kalocsai mayonnaise is made without sugar. Pepper cream, goulash cream and various marinades in the summer season can also be found in the portfolio. Glatz Hungary Kft. sells Irish Lakeshore mustards in Hungary. These special products are primarily used as cooking ingredients, but can also be used as a traditional sauce. Marketing manager Rita Habuda-Salyámosy revealed that hot Lakeshore mustard is consumers’ favourite. Sales of Lakeshore products augmented by more than 10 percent last year. Whiskey-flavoured whole seed mustard and French-type mustard are also available – both of them can give an extra kick to dishes.