Grilling product market hopes to heat up again

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2024/5

Tried and tested flavours dominate

Tünde Matyasovszky
senior brand manager
(Valdor & Pick Fresh Meat)
Bonafarm

“As for the types of meat used for grilling, poultry is by far the most popular because it is easy to cook. Chicken breast fillets, chicken thigh fillets and chicken wings are the most commonly grilled meats. When grilling pork, loin and ribs are the most popular”,

says Tünde Matyasovszky, senior brand manager (Valdor & Pick Fresh Meat) of Bonafarm Zrt.

Domestic consumers prefer tried and tested flavours. The biggest hits are still honey-mustard or Hungarian seasoning.

Old and new retail strategies

Last year retail chains followed a cautious sales policy for grilling products: they typically focused on private label assortments, with a fast-selling basic range of products. This won’t change much this year.

Zsolt Kazai
sales manager
Wiesbauer-Dunahús

“Year after year there is growing demand from our partners for PL grilling products”,

says Zsolt Kazai, sales manager of Wiesbauer-Dunahús Zrt.

At the same time discounters are adding branded grilling products to their assortment in addition to PL products. Market players are optimistic about this year’s barbecue season.

Erzsébet Nagy
marketing manager
Gallicoop

“Experts are forecasting an ideal inflation rate of around 3% for 2024, which will hopefully lead to a sales increase”,

says Erzsébet Nagy, marketing manager of Gallicoop Zrt.

According to Tünde Matyasovszky, food is a product of trust, so consumers like to be fully aware of the origin of the food they are eating. The biggest advantage of PICK Fresh meat products is their compliance with strict standards and full traceability, which makes PICK Fresh meats safe and of premium quality. These meats have high added value, built on three pillars: using non-GMO feed only, responsible antibiotics use and higher animal welfare standards. Two of the company’s most popular grilling meats are pork loin and ribs, as these are fat-infused cuts of meat that are easy to prepare.

They are working on several innovations

Wiesbauer will continue to develop its flexitarian product line in the hope of growing demand, but they won’t stop developing traditional products either. This year the company is launching two new flavours in the Hungarian market: Fried Onion Grilling Sausage and Puszta Grilling Sausage in 300g size. Both products are characterised by a strong flavour that lives up to their name. Gallicoop Zrt.’s experience is that Hungarian consumers prefer traditional flavours, so most GALLIO grilling sausages follow this trend. However, demand for innovation has already manifested and chain stores are also looking for spicy, special seasoned grilling sausages. This is why the company’s innovation experts use not only garlic, but also ginger and honey in their product development work. Following the success of GALLIO grilling sausages, they are now developing several new flavours and marinated grilling meats.

For grilled meats, the typical pack size remains 500g

New flavours

Kaiser Food also felt the slowdown in the grilling product category last year, but KAISER grilling products closed the 2023 barbecue season with success, reveals Orsolya Erdei, marketing manager of Kaiser Food Kft.

“The KAISER grilling products selection is well-positioned in terms of size, price and quality. This year we are introducing new flavours, sticking with the familiar packaging”,

adds the marketing manager.

Zsuzsa Takácsné Rácz
sales director
Pápai Hús

They are launching three new variants in 2024: Kebabs, Grilling Sausages with Fried Onions, and Chilli and Cheese.

In 2023 Pápai Hús was able to increase sales, thanks to the fact that there was no significant price rise in the grilling product segment, informs Zsuzsa Takácsné Rácz, sales director of Pápai Hús Kft.

“We are optimistic about the future, hopefully the growth won’t stop this year and we will close the season with better results than in 2023”,

she adds. Every year they introduce new flavours and formats. In 2024 they are introducing grilling sausages made with fried onions. //