The European olive oil market has enjoyed a growth rate of above 3
per cent for the past 5 years. Food giant Unilever claims to have
been a major influencing factor for this incremental growth through
the success of its Bertolli brand, and the group is now the market
leader for the distribution of olive oil in Europe and Worldwide.
Recently, the company decided to launch a new, premium quality
olive oil in what consumers might perceive to be an authentic
traditional container.
“Using our team’s expertise, a superior olive oil was
developed using carefully selected Mediterranean grown olives which
we decided to call ‘Puget Héritage,” said Marina Testu, brand
manager for Puget Olive Oil.
Based on an extensive consumer research study, Puget decided to
stress the authenticity and pure nature of Puget Héritage, thus
tapping into current consumers concerns of health and quality of
life.
Tinplate containers were traditionally the preferred packaging
medium for olive oil, together with glass bottles, and for this
reason a classical steel container was chosen for Puget Héritage.
In addition to its authentic appeal, the packaging features a
pouring mechanism and screw cap.
An additional advantage of the steel container is the fact that
the tinplate can protects the olive oil from light, which is
imperative in maintaining the high quality of the product. The
packaging is also unbreakable and safe for children.
Another key factor behind the decision to use steel was shelf
impact. Virtually all olive oil in France is packed in glass or PET
bottles, and Puget Héritage steel cans therefore clearly
differentiate the product from the competition.
In the end, the launch of the product made good business sense.
France’s share of European olive oil consumption rose from 4.8 per
cent in 1990 to 5.3 per cent in 2002. After several years of
considerable growth, the total French olive oil market had
stabilised and in 2003 reached maturity with a stable 0.2 per cent
growth in volume.
The market nevertheless still offers real growth potential with
a per capita consumption of 1.5 litre/year, as compared to nearly
15.1 litre/year in Spain.
“The total cooking oil market for France in 2003 was more
than 250 million litres with olive oil representing more than 20
per cent market share with 56 million litres, the remainder
composed mainly of sunflower seed oil and various other oil
mixes,” said Testu. “However, in value terms the olive oil
market is the most important with a 52 per cent share, and is the
only cooking oil in France which has had sustainable growth over
the last decade.”
Puget is now Unilever’s main olive oil brand in France, and is the
country’s brand leader with a 31 per cent market share of the total
French olive oil market.