The fruit nectar drinks are aimed at children, and feature both Disney and Marvel characters, following the signing of the agreement in mid-2014. The first products, released late last year, feature Minnie Mouse and Spiderman, and Del Monte plans to release additional branded products in the near future.
Saudi rollout
“Del Monte and Disney’s licensing agreement includes the rights for the production and distribution of co-branded fresh produce (fruits, vegetables), nectars, fresh juices, fresh cut snacks and dried fruits categories, which spans distribution across the Middle East and Africa. The nectar range is the first product line to be released,” said Virginie de Beco, regional marketing director EMEA at Fresh Del Monte.
“Del Monte has first launched the fruit nectars in the Saudi market, supported by a strong communication campaign across the kingdom including an outdoor campaign, web and social media, in store animations and sampling, PR and events. The plan is now to roll out the launch campaign across the whole region,” she added.
Health focus
The 240ml canned fruit juices are being produced in Del Monte’s Jeddah plant, in Mango, Pineapple and Tropical flavours. De Beco said the drinks were high in natural fruit juices and fortified with additional vitamins, in line with the firm’s commitment to create healthy and nutritious products.
“We actively promote healthy eating habits amongst children and encourage families to increase their consumption of fruit and vegetables every day and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Our Del Monte fruit nectars have a higher fruit content that the other juice drinks in the market and are enriched in vitamins B and C, beneficial to children’s development,” she said.
Fresh Del Monte, which is a separate company to its original parent Del Monte Foods, saw net sales worth US$426.1m in the Middle East for the nine months to September 2014, totalling 14% of the company’s total global turnover for the period. Sales in the region were up 13% from the same period the year before, which saw Fresh Del Monte bring in US$376.8m from Middle East markets.
In 2013 the firm opened a farm in Ras Al Khaima in the UAE, as part of its regional expansion. The 20-hectare farm produces fresh iceberg and romaine lettuce, melons, broccoli, watermelons and strawberries for the regional market.