The BBQ season provides retailers with an opportunity to generate incremental profits by tapping into the growing consumer interest in world foods, in particular the fast-growing Caribbean market, according to Enco Products, the Grace Foods UK subsidiary and leading supplier of Caribbean food and drink.
“These are exciting times for Caribbean food and drink,” says Lisa Leung, Brand Manager for Encona Sauces, the UK’S number one hot pepper sauce brand.*
“There is a growing consumer demand for taste experiences from around the world. Encona’s range, which is experiencing strong growth of 20.1%*, provides retailers with the perfect solution to drive incremental BBQ sales.
“The broad variety of uses around the BBQ occasion highlights the profit potential that spicy sauces provide. Whether for dipping, marinating or as a hot condiment, the Encona range has a product for every usage occasions.
“The BBQ season is a time to entertain family and friends and this bodes well for the sauces market. Much of our summer marketing activity will be driving people to store and encouraging them to use Encona Sauces to bring their BBQ to life.”
Encona recently expanded its market-leading sauces range with the addition of two variants: Encona West Indian Extra Hot Pepper Sauce and Encona African Peri Peri Sauce.
The Peri Peri variant features a special blend of African birds’ eye chillies, aromatic garlic, zesty lemon and spices. This delicious sauce has introduced new shoppers to the range as well as appealing to existing Encona Sauces users.
The brand is also turning up the heat in the sauces category following the launch of its hottest ever SKU – Encona West Indian Extra Hot Pepper Sauce.
“Consumers are becoming increasingly adventurous with flavours, and many are seeking new levels of heat when it comes to sauces,” says Leung.
“We’ve responded to this trend with a distinctive, hot sauce, using a super fiery blend of some of the hottest peppers in the world, including Jolokia and Scotch Bonnet. It delivers the classic Encona flavour – with an extra hot kick!”
The versatility of the Encona Sauces range enables retailer to generate maximum profits. Leung adds: “Some consumers may not be aware that Encona Sauces can be used for a wide range of cooking occasions; whether it is as, an ingredient for cooking, a marinade before grilling or barbequing, as a table sauce or simply as a dressing or a dip and as a result, the range offers maximum profit potential.”
In order to guide consumers on how to use their products, Encona sauces is segmenting their range of sauces by usage occasions. This move has been guided by extensive consumer research & market trends, and will ultimately help to drive sales of the products.
The three occasions, Dipping Sauces, Cooking Ingredients and Hot Condiments will be packaged in new colour coded trays that clearly communicate the occasion and will provide a stronger standout on shelf.
Cooking Ingredients:
• Encona Jamaican Jerk BBQ Sauce
• Encona African Peri Peri Sauce
• Encona Barbados Creole Pepper Sauce
• Encona Thai Chilli and Ginger Sauce
Dipping Sauces:
• Encona Indian Sweet Mango Chilli Sauce
• Encona Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce
• Encona Thai Chilli and Garlic Sauce
• Encona Texan Chilli BBQ Sauce
Hot Condiments:
• Encona West Indian Original Hot Pepper Sauce
• Encona West Indian Extra Hot Pepper Sauce
• Encona Louisiana Cajun Hot Sauce
• Encona West Indian Smooth Papaya Hot Pepper Sauce
The Encona website, enconasauces.co.uk, will also be refreshed to have a stronger focus on recipes to give consumers other great ideas on how to use the sauces.
Leung says: “We want to show consumers that you can use Encona sauces across a variety of cuisine types, not just in Caribbean cooking. From stir fries, to soups to spaghetti bolognaise, our versatile sauces are perfect for almost every meal type!
Leung concludes: “Such is the consumer interest in Caribbean food and drink that in 2012 Grace Foods organised the UK’s first ever Caribbean Food Week. The celebration of Caribbean food and drink will be repeated in 2013 in the run-up to Notting Hill Carnival, Europe’s biggest street festival, 19-25 August 2013.”
*1 Source: IRI Grocery Outlets 52 w/e 5 January 2013
Enco Products
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