https://europe.visionmagazine.com/why-a-mango-is-never-just-a-mango/

As premium food brands gain ground in supermarkets, fresh produce companies need to look beyond price and quality, and invest more seriously in brand value.

Despite the rising cost of living and ongoing crises, sales of premium brands in German supermarkets increased by about 6.5% from 2024 to 2025, with premium manufacturer brands up 3.6% and premium private labels up 11.2%, according to YouGov data.

One might expect the industry to be talking excitedly about premiumization in fresh produce, if we were not constantly hearing universal complaints that margins continue to decline. Honestly, this phenomenon surprises me.

A few days ago, in a café in Hamburg, I saw a line stretching almost to the door. This queue was not for coffee, but for smoothies priced at €10 (£8.64) each.

When I peered at the menu, the ingredients were ordinary enough: mango, coconut milk, spirulina, and protein powder. What stood out to me was the name, “Down the Ocean.”

Watching the growing line of people, I had to ask myself: would these same customers pay 10 euros for a big, beautiful mango? Almost certainly not. It wasn’t the smoothie they were buying. It was the feeling. They were not buying mango, but a better version of themselves. A person coming from a 7 a.m. workout class, who values their health and has their life together.

This is what the world’s most successful brands were built on. Nike does not sell running shoes, but the belief that you can do it and will, naturally, look good doing it. Coca-Cola does not sell a beverage; it sells a sense of belonging. These brands understood something fundamental: people don‘t buy ingredients, they shop for identity and feeling.

The fresh produce industry still communicates on a functional level, leaving emotional value untapped. It focuses on what is easy to quantify: origin, price, availability, certifications, and sustainability. All these parameters have merit, but nowadays they are baseline, not differentiation.

Brands provide desirability and trust. And, as a result, willingness to pay increases. Yet, fresh produce is still presented in a one-dimensional fashion. An orange is an orange, a mango is a mango. The potential is obvious, yet largely ignored. Avocados have become a lifestyle product, and blueberries, once seasonal, a year-round symbol of health, convenience, clean eating and snacking on the go.

At the same time, broader consumption patterns tell us something important. Obesity rates continue to rise and meat consumption has increased despite it being significantly more expensive than fresh produce. Price is not the issue here, but the prioritization of what people choose to eat and are willing to pay for. And those priorities are driven by perception.

Recently, I visited a supermarket where the fruit and vegetable section was redesigned to look like a Tuscan market. After this change, people browsed longer, and subsequently, sales increased. A simple idea, with immediate commercial impact.

In other words, the point of sale remains one of the most underestimated levers in the industry. A large share of purchasing decisions are still made in-store.

Packaging, merchandising, secondary placements, and brand blocks are not decorative elements; they are commercial tools that create orientation and turn products into brands.

Fresh produce is not underrated for a lack of quality, but because the industry does not invest enough in branding and creating emotional value. Without investment, value does not grow. Fruit has what other industries spend millions trying to create: nutritional value, vitality, color, and pleasure. And yet, on the shelf, much of this potential disappears into indistinguishable uniformity.

All this means to say that fresh produce does not have a price problem; it has a value problem. If price were the deciding factor, sales of meat and convenience food would not continue to grow during periods of high inflation. People don’t pay for the product itself, but for the meaning it holds in their lives.

The difference between a product and a brand is not created in the field or on farms, but in the way our produce is presented, framed, and consistently communicated. Brands must be built. And then, at the point of sale, they must be brought to life. Only those who stand out will be chosen.

Which brings us back to our mango. On its own, it’s simply a fruit, but under the right conditions and with the right narrative, it can become everything consumers wish for. A tropical escape, a sign of productivity, a symbol of health.

A mango is never just a mango. It becomes whatever we allow it to be. 

On 22 September, I’ll be speaking at the Deutscher Obst & Gemüse Kongress (German Fruit & Vegetable Congress) in Düsseldorf about one of the biggest challenges facing our industry:

ATTENTION, TikTok Generation! How Fresh Produce Branding Needs to Reinvent Itself.

Ahead of the congress, I had the pleasure of joining Kaasten Reh from Fruchthandel Magazin for a podcast conversation about the future of fresh produce branding.

We discuss why outstanding product quality remains the foundation of success and why, in today’s world, this is no longer enough. Consumers, especially younger generations, discover products differently. They are surrounded by content competing for their attention every second and don’t respond to traditional advertising. They expect content that entertains, surprises and makes people stop scrolling.

We discuss what the fresh produce industry can learn from successful consumer brands and explore how branding can create real added value for fresh produce. From packaging and point of sale to social media and storytelling, every consumer touchpoint offers an opportunity to transform fruit and vegetables from commodities into brands that people actively choose, remember and love.

The episode also touches on the challenges currently facing our industry and how social media is reshaping the way people discover and connect with products.

A big thank you to Kaasten Reh and Fruchthandel Magazin for the engaging and enjoyable conversation.

Listen to the podcast here:

https://www.fruchthandel.de/mediathek

Read the accompanying article here:

https://www.fruchthandel.de/news/achtung-tiktok-generation-wie-sich-obst-gemuese-branding-neu-erfinden-muss?utm_source=campaignmonitor&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fruchthandel_newsmail

Let’s be honest. Nobody has ever woken up in the morning thinking, “I can’t wait to read another product description today. And this will become increasingly relevant. In just 10 years, almost 30% of the population will be made up of today’s Gen Z. Whether we like it or not, they are the future of fresh produce.

Reaching new target groups always starts with understanding eating habits. Next, the right product will follow. And only then does communication really make sense. Take Gen Z for example. Around 79% of 18 to 24-year-olds snack every day, which is why they are often called “Gen Znack”. In fact, 64% replace at least one meal each week with a snack, often inspired by what they discover on social media, especially on TikTok.

Snacking happens everywhere nowadays: on the train, between meetings, while walking through the city or during a short break at work or studying.

That’s why I found this blueberry concept at a wholesale market in Shanghai so inspiring. It is called the “Lucky Cup”, and I honestly couldn’t imagine a more fitting name. It contains just 70 grams of blueberries, exactly the right size for an on-the-go snack, together with a small fork, although I have to admit I would probably still eat the blueberries with my fingers.

I immediately liked the idea because it combines so many things at once. An attractive name, a differentiated presentation and a format that adheres perfectly to today’s eating habits. It even works for school and kindergarten lunchboxes, helping children develop healthy eating habits from an early age.

When I first spotted pre-sliced apples wrapped in plastic in a supermarket, on the other hand, my first reaction was probably the same as yours would have been.

Who on earth needs that?

Then I came across some surprising data. In US school cafeterias, simply switching from whole apples to sliced apples increased apple sales by 71% while reducing food waste by 65%. Average consumption increased from 96 grams to 238 grams per student each day.*

It instantly reminded me of my agency days. We had a fruit basket in the office every morning. Whenever our office manager sliced the fruit before work, it usually disappeared before lunch. When she was on holiday and nobody prepped it, a bunch of the fruit stayed untouched. No wonder the fresh-cut fruit market is booming, especially among younger consumers who value convenience and ready-to-eat snacks.

Packaging is another piece of the puzzle. It protects the product, but it also affects how we value it. In many markets, blueberries are sold in identically shaped clamshells, using the same material and visual language. Different logo, same look, same perception. If you want your product to be perceived as premium, consumers have to recognize the difference immediately. Before anyone reads a claim or checks the origin, packaging has already communicated something about quality, care and value.

This becomes even more relevant when you look at younger consumers. They’re not necessarily interested in buying what their parents bought. Instead, they’re looking for products that feel modern, expressive and aligned with their own identity.

It’s due to this development that I found this paper-based grape packaging so interesting as well.  What struck me was not only the material, but the completely different perception it creates. The grapes suddenly feel more natural, more carefully selected and almost like something you’d buy at a local market rather than hurriedly grabbing yet another plastic bag from a supermarket shelf.

And finally, there is naming. What comes to your mind when you hear Cotton Candy ? Probably a funfair, childhood and sweet memories.

I think it is such a brilliant name for grapes, precisely because of the emotional memories it evokes. “Grapes” simply describes a product. “Cotton Candy” creates curiosity before you have even tasted it. Research from Cornell University found that imaginative names increased sales by 28% and made consumers willing to pay 12% more. Other studies show that products with memorable names are perceived to be high quality and are purchased more often.

Looking at all these examples, I find it fascinating that none of them actually changes the fruit itself. The blueberries remain blueberries. The apples remain apples. The grapes remain grapes. What changes is the way consumers experience them.

Sometimes it’s a memorable name. Sometimes it’s packaging that stands out immediately. Sometimes it’s simply making fruit easier to eat. Best case scenario is delivering on all 3 fronts.

Selling fruit is just one part of the puzzle. Perhaps that is exactly why branding in fresh produce is so important – Because it allows us to create high-end experiences that fit naturally into people’s lifestyles.

*Source: Brian Wansink, David R. Just, Andrew S. Hanks, and Laura E. Smith (2013) “Pre-sliced Fruit in School Cafeterias: Children’s Selection and Consumption of Apples.”

https://www.internationalblueberry.org/2026/04/30/women-driving-change-in-the-blueberry-industry-insights-from-nuria-pizan/

The conversation also addressed the structural barriers that remain, as well as how a fresh perspective is helping transform blueberries from a traditional commodity into a high-value, modern snack category.

Thinking Big: A Legacy of Innovation

The blueberry industry itself has roots shaped by female leadership. Elizabeth Coleman White, often referred to as its “founding mother,” set an early example of vision and ambition.
For Pizan, her legacy remains highly relevant today. “Elizabeth Coleman White was remarkably forward-thinking for her time. What stands out about her is not only that she was a woman, but that she thought big and stayed curious. That mindset is what drives progress for all of us.”

Innovation, she explains, has always been essential — but today it goes far beyond production. “It means understanding consumer needs, recognizing and shaping trends, and building strong brands that elevate the category. This creates more value, strengthens margins, and ultimately benefits growers and everyone along the chain.”

Beyond the “Glass Ceiling”

While the concept of a “glass ceiling” is widely discussed, Pizan describes it not as a single moment, but as a deeper structural issue.
“I didn’t experience the glass ceiling as a singular moment in the blueberry world, but I’ve seen it very clearly within the broader agricultural industry.”
She recalls the case of a highly experienced female quality director who, despite her expertise, was repeatedly placed under new leadership.

“This wasn’t about ability. It was about perception and structure. It should never be about gender — it should be about competence.”
Breaking these patterns, she notes, requires speaking up and challenging them directly when they appear.

Rethinking Value: More Than a Commodity

This gap between perception and reality extends beyond leadership — it also defines how blueberries are perceived by consumers.
“Most consumers see a blueberry. They don’t see the year-round precision, the risk, the people, and the decisions behind it.” For Pizan, this disconnect has major implications for the category. “It’s not a commodity. It is a highly managed and emotional product that deserves to be valued accordingly.”

Brands play a key role in closing that gap. By building trust and consistency, they allow consumers to better understand the value behind the product and become more willing to pay a premium.
“Fresh fruit is still undervalued and underpriced. If we want people to eat more fruit, we must communicate its true value more clearly.”

The Shift to Snacking

One of the most important opportunities for the industry lies in how blueberries are positioned for modern consumption.
“Younger generations increasingly see blueberries as a natural ‘on-the-go snack,’ and this matters because consumers evaluate pricing very differently in the snack universe than in the traditional fruit aisle.” This shift opens the door to rethinking the category entirely.

“There is real potential for new, healthy snack products, including formats that make smart use of lower-grade fruit, reducing waste while creating additional value.”
Packaging will be key in this evolution, from smaller formats to kid-friendly and convenient solutions.
“With the right ideas, the category can grow not only in volume, but in value.”

Leadership for the Next Generation

As the industry evolves, so too does the type of leadership it demands.
For young women entering the sector, Pizan highlights a combination of mindset and action.
“Stay curious and never stop learning. Try to learn as much as possible from the best people in the field.”
She also emphasizes the importance of stepping forward. “Raise your hand when new and challenging projects come up. The more you take on, the more you learn.”Her final message is direct and powerful: “Do not wait for permission.”
In a sector with growing opportunities, influence comes from visibility, expertise, and the willingness to take initiative.
“Visibility is not about ego, it is about influence. And influence is what allows you to shape the future of this industry.”

A Changing Industry

For more than two decades, Nuria Pizan has helped shape how fresh produce is positioned and perceived globally, playing a key role in the development of one of the most recognized premium fruit brands in the market.
Her perspective reflects a broader transformation within the blueberry industry – one where branding, innovation, and leadership are becoming central to long-term growth.
As the sector continues to evolve, the role of women will not only become more visible, but increasingly essential in defining its future.

Price isn’t the problem here. Rather, this phenomenon is about perceived value.

Recent figures show that Germany’s domestic producers currently only supply around 20% of its fruit demand, while vegetables reach approximately 37%.

A couple of examples for you:

Tomatoes: 3.8% Cherries: 18.8% Pears: 15.4% Strawberries: 40.6% Apples: 48.7%

Let’s look at strawberries for instance. Strawberry cultivation areas in Germany have almost halved over the last 10 years. The reasons behind this are complex. Between the field and the consumer lies a long chain of storage, cooling, energy costs, sorting, packaging, transportation, retail, labour, and losses throughout the value chain. Overall production costs have increased significantly, making profitable strawberry cultivation increasingly difficult for many growers.

Another example makes this easier to understand. Earlier this year, German farmers at times received only around 3 cents (!!) per kilogram for potatoes, while consumers can easily pay €2.50 or more per kilogram in supermarkets. If those same potatoes are turned into fries at fairs or events, the equivalent value can rise to €30 per kilogram or even more.

This illustrates something important. Consumers are paying more, but that does not automatically mean farmers are earning more. In many cases, profitability remains under pressure, which is one of the reasons why cultivation areas continue to decline.

And this is not just a German challenge. Growers around the world are facing similar issues. Rising labour costs, increasing energy and logistics prices, climate related risks, stricter regulations, and higher input costs are creating significant challenges across many production regions. Consumers end up paying more at the shelf, while producers globally continue to operate under increasing economic pressure.

Many consumers say they prefer buying locally grown prodcuts. Despite this, Germans are still unable to supply their demand domestically and remain heavily dependent on imports. Perhaps the question should not be whether people want regional products. Instead, the right question to ask is whether we have created enough tangible value for consumers to actively choose them.

And this isn’t just applicable to local produce. Imported fruit often faces a similar challenge. Much of it is still sold as a plain old commodity: with limited differentiation and few strong brands to attract the attention of consumers.

When products look interchangeable, consumers naturally focus on and compare prices. But when value becomes visible through storytelling, transparency, quality, origin, and branding, purchasing decisions change more often than not.

That is exactly why it is so valuable when consumers are invited onto farms and into the fields. Younger generations in particular increasingly want to see what happens behind the scenes, understand where their food comes from, and learn how it is produced.

Interestingly, premium food products increased by 6.2% overall last year. Consumers are clearly willing to spend more on good food when they recognise the added value.

A simple example illustrates this well. I recently saw a banana snack sold at the equivalent of around €28 per kilogram while containing only 30% banana. Consumers are not paying only for the fruit itself. They are paying for convenience, processing, branding, packaging, and the overall product experience. In other words, the value of this product is being conveyed clearly and unmistakably to the consumer.

That is precisely why fruit and vegetables need more attention, stronger differentiation, and greater investment in brand building, communication, and marketing.

Because appreciation does not happen on its own!

It has become a cultural icon that stands for sunshine, holidays, exotic destinations, and hospitality. Pineapples are everywhere. On clothing, wallpapers, cocktail menus, hotel logos, and countless decorative items around the world. Their distinctive shape, textured skin, and crown make them instantly recognizable.

All this makes another development all the more surprising: Pineapple consumption has been declining for years in many markets. How can a fruit that is so widely loved and positively perceived gradually lose relevance?

The answer doesn’t lie in the fruit itself, but in the way we consume it.

While a banana can be eaten immediately, a pineapple requires more effort. It needs to be peeled, cut, and prepared before it can be enjoyed. At the same time, consumers have gravitated toward convenience products for years. They are increasingly willing to pay substantial premiums for products that save time and make consumption easier.

Where fresh-cut pineapple is offered, purchasing behavior often changes dramatically. Practical pineapple cutting machines have played an important role in making this possible by turning a fruit that once required extensive preparation into a ready-to-enjoy snack.

One retailer recently told me that he used to sell around 10 cases of pineapples per week. With the cutting machine, he sells between 70 and 80 cases, and during the summer season sometimes as many as 100. At a retail price of €4.99 per pineapple.

In some stores, up to 80% of pineapple sales now come from freshly cut pineapple, while whole fruit has somewhat shifted into the background. What makes this particularly interesting is that the product itself has not changed at all. The pineapple is exactly the same. What has changed is accessibility.

Suddenly, the pineapple is no longer just competing with other fruits. It is competing with sandwiches, smoothies, protein bars, pastries, and other grab-and-go snacks. A fruit that was traditionally consumed at home becomes a product that can be enjoyed immediately. An ingredient becomes a snack.

Consequently, this raises a much bigger question that extends far beyond pineapples. What if declining fruit and vegetable consumption is not a product problem? What if consumers actually like these products but struggle to integrate them into their daily routines?

And the question doesn’t just apply to pineapples. It also applies to melons, pomegranates, coconuts, and many other fruits that are highly appreciated for their taste but demand time-intensive preparation, creating convenience barriers.

At the same time, the case of the pineapple tells us something else. The fresh produce industry spends a great deal of time discussing new varieties, new products, and new concepts. But perhaps the answer doesn’t lie in constantly trying to create something new. Instead, we might spend more time thinking about how to make existing products more accessible, more visible, and easier to consume.

Sometimes consumers simply need better access to the fruits they already love.