Outdoor fun

Gábor Zab, domestic sales director of Kometa 99 Zrt. informed our magazine that the volume requests sent by partners indicate that grilling activity will strengthen: orders tend to be almost 30 percent bigger than last year.

Special flavours and creative backing

Gábor Zab
domestic sales director
Kometa 99

Kometa’s view is that Hungarian consumers like new products very much. Mr Zab revealed that from last year’s revamped grill product selection hot Jalapeno pepper grill is the most popular. This year’s novelty is Kometa Gourmet Tomato-Mozzarella grill sausage. Since the grill product category is an impulsive one, the company uses chilled in-store display to promote products. There will also be an online campaign and in social media creative messages will target consumers. Kometa’s full grill product selection participates in the long-term Kometa Club loyalty promotion that commenced on 12 April – the main prize is a Toyota C-HR hybrid car, plus valuable Samsung prizes are drawn daily and weekly.

Freshness that comes in slices

More and more people like to have barbecues, so Pick Szeged is also keen to satisfy a wide range of consumer needs with the PICK Fresh Meat selection – these quality products can be prepared easily on both a grill and in a frying pan.

We learned from Gyopár Géger, PICK Szeged Zrt.’s junior brand manager that demand keeps growing for these products. One of the most popular PICK Fresh Meat grill meats is pork loin, because it is very easy to prepare. Since it is packaged slice by slice, the preparation time is short. The slices don’t go dry when roasting, so the end result is delicious.

Higher quality private label products

Zsolt Kazai
sales manager
Wiesbauer-Dunahús

Wiesbauer-Dunahús Kft. ended the 2020 barbecue season with 31 percent higher volume sales and a 56-percent value sales increase in comparison with 2019 in the domestic market.

Sales manager Zsolt Kazai told Trade magazin that demand from retailer partners for private label grill products is growing year after year. One of their partners replaced its complete branded grill product selection with Wiesbauer-Dunahús’ 15 different private label grill products and doubled sales. The company regularly launches new products, for instance this year 3 new flavours were added to the griller selection: 200g mushroom griller, 200g cheese-chilli griller and 200g pineapple-cheese Hawaii griller. There are 3 types of grill sausages in the 300g Party Mini Mix: white, cheese and Debrecen grill sausages in sheep casing.

Progress made in terms of both flavour and image

Péter Szappanos
managing director
Pápai Hús

Pápai Hús Kft. started the 2020 barbecue season with a new horseradish flavour.

This year they will come out with three new flavours – said managing director Péter Szappanos. The company is currently making a move in the convenience product segment. As the modern trade channel is strengthening, small-sized private label product sales are developing well. Pápai Hús is getting ready for the new barbecue season with new grill sausages, in packaging that is likely to surprise many shoppers. If the test period is successful, the Pápai brand will become stronger and more colourful with these new products.

Traditional and trendy

Éva Tamáskovitsné Gila
marketing manager
Gyulahús

Gyulahús Kft. entered the grill product market in the minigrill category a few years ago. Besides classic flavours that Hungarians like so much, they also rolled out horseradish, chilli-lime and sweet chilli flavour combinations, which they later offered to consumers in 380g grill sausage mix products too.

Marketing manager Éva Tamáskovitsné Gila spoke to us about combining traditions with the latest trends. Gyulai grill products are lactose- and gluten-free. In 2020 the company put venison-containing grill sausages on the market, in Hungarian-style and sweet chilli flavour combinations.

Delicacies that can be prepared in many ways

Péter Kovács
sales director
Tamási-Hús

The 2020 barbecue season was very successful for Tamási Hús Kft.: sales increased by double digit numbers – revealed sales director Péter Kovács. Tamási Hús’ Premium Berner products are pork wieners with high meat content, filled with tasty mountain cheese and rolled in bacon. They are ideal for barbecues but can also be prepared in a pan. The company’s Premium Bacon products are market leaders in their segment. In the barbecue season there is great consumer demand for these, as they are characterised by extra high meat content and beech wood smoking makes them a real delicacy.

Grill cheese sales grew the most in hypermarkets

Mariann Nagy
sales development
manager
Savencia Fromage &
Dairy Hungary

Barbecue fans can also put cheese on the grill.

According to Mariann Nagy, Savencia Fromage & Dairy Hungary Zrt.’s sales development manager, while cheese volume sales improved by 6 percent in 2020, grill cheese sales soared by 23 percent. Sales improved in every retail channel, but they grew the most, by 38 percent in hypermarkets. Ms Nagy added that plain variants are popular, but hot, smoked and various Mediterranean-style versions perform above the average.

Old brand in a new segment

Luisa Weinmann
brand manager
Savencia Fromage &
Dairy Hungary

Sales of Savencia F&D HU Zrt.’s products, Tihany and Karaván grill cheeses increased above the market average at 42 percent last year, in part thanks to successful innovations such as Karaván Cheese Steaks and Tihany Grill Camembert with lavender sauce.

Brand manager Luisa Weinmann shared the news that this year their popular Medve brand also enters the grill cheese segment. Medve Grill Medallions hit the shops in April, in plain and chilli flavours. Prepared on the grill, the new product is crispy on the outside and creamy inside, offering the well-known high Medve quality. From the Tihany grill portfolio an exciting limited edition flavour will surprise shoppers.

New shapes

Béla Nagy
marketing- és PR-manager
Kőröstej

Béla Nagy, marketing and PR manager of Kőröstej Kft. spoke to us about the huge demand for their grill cheese products in the last barbecue season. Kőröstej’s strategy is to be one step ahead of the changes in the field of product innovation. It is really good news for cheese lovers that more new Hajdú cheese products will debut in the next few months than ever before. This time the novelty in the grill cheese segment isn’t new flavours, but a new shape: the burger grill cheese already debuted in the British and Danish markets last year and proved to be very successful. Mr Nagy is sure that it will be a big hit in the Hungarian market as well.

GMO-free products in focus

Balázs Molnár
head of sales
Szarvasi Agrár

Grill cheese is a new product category in Szarvasi Agrár Zrt.’s product portfolio.

Head of sales Balázs Molnár said: after the successful market launch of aged premium cheese products, upon the request of retailer partners they developed a grill cheese range in plain, chilli and basil flavour combinations, which can also be prepared in a frying pan. The GMO-free grill cheese is 100-percent natural. Szarvasi Agrár Zrt. is a member of the Talentis Agro Group and sees great potential in developing Hungary’s culture of consuming quality and healthy cheese varieties. //