“The Ethnic food and drink category continues to drive growth in mainstream grocery,” says Adejare Adesanya, Marketing Manager at Wanis Ltd, “because of the adventurous British palate, which is very open to exotic tastes and unusual flavours. Also, third and fourth generation migrants are now integrated so fully with the mainstream that they are happy to buy homemade produce in supermarkets, rather than a local market or Independent as previously. Finally, TV chefs continue to promote a wider portfolio of dishes to entice viewers, bringing ethnic foods squarely to a mainstream audience.”
As the recession bites, product lines targeting family meal times, and those offering good value for money, continue to thrive. Authenticity and quality remain key growth drivers for ethnic cuisines, and with limited amounts to spend on food, consumers are buying brands which they recognise and/or promise authenticity and deliver on taste.
Wanis’ Tropical Sun range is seeing impressive sales year-on-year. The Tropical Sun sauces are produced with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, and are embraced by consumers who have had the opportunity to taste them and the confidence to take home an authentic sauce.
Looking ahead, the build up to the gathering of athletes from around the world in London for the 2012 Olympics will help generate a lot of interest in foreign foods and drinks. The high profile ‘Meet the Jamaican Team’ campaign has already helped generate interest for products from Jamaica like Dragon Stout, Jamaica Sun Ackee and Callaloo and Bigga sodas. These products are all leaders in their categories and will fly the Jamaican flag next year.
The Wanis range
The Wanis range continues to represent the best of the different product categories across the African and Caribbean food and drinks spectrum. Wanis’s products have iconic heritage status in their native countries, and are brand leaders in their respective segments. Among them, Baron’s sauces from St. Lucia were sampled at this year’s Taste of London event and created a storm with their Banana Ketchup and Green Seasoning, as part of the St Lucian tourist board offering.
There is hardly any cooking ingredient not represented in Wanis’ wide range of products. Each one is known for authenticity, great quality at everyday price and strong distribution nationwide.
In 2010 the Wanis range added another laurel to its list of awards with Jamaica Sun Traditional Jerk Seasoning winning Gold in the Great Taste Awards, following Tropical Sun Guava Jelly’s Gold in 2009.
Reflecting their growing mainstream appeal, the Tropical Sun ingredients range is going through a label renovation, with new packaging reflecting its authenticity and achieving good visibility and easy recognition for pick up on the shelf.
“Range, variety and authenticity are the core values of our Tropical Sun brand, qualities no other ethnic brand can boast,” says Adejare Adesanya, Marketing Manager at Wanis. “These attributes make Tropical Sun the perfect choice for the diverse and growing opportunity in the ethnic food and drink sector: there’s something for everyone.”
Tropical Sun Jerk Seasoning is the de facto market leading Jerk marinade, complemented by Tropical Sun Jerk BBQ sauce. Another strong category is the Tropical Sun spices range, which are MSG free and mostly additive free. In alcoholic drinks, Dragon Stout is a clear favourite in the dark beer segment, and Carib lager has seen a marked resurgence after Wanis took over distribution in 2009. In soft drinks, Bigga is top for carbonates, and in milk drinks Nrich has been a runaway success, due to its flavour and health profile.
New for 2011
Wanis continue to innovate with new products. Last year they introduced Village Pride Chilli and Lime plantain chips, followed this year by Tropical Sun Mackerel in Jerk sauce, which demonstrate product extension.
Other innovations include:
• Tropical Sun 100% Natural Coconut water with no fat, added sugar, sweeteners, preservatives, colouring or concentrates. The standard 330ml tin retains quality and freshness better than cartons
• Tropical Sun Crunchy Peanut – now in 165g packs
• Tropical Sun Caribbean Curry Paste – a ready-to-heat sauce that can be mixed with vegetables and/or meats, the easiest way to make an authentic Caribbean curry
• Nrich Chocolate – launched by popular demand to consolidate the success of the new flavoured milk drink
• Devina sparkling fruit juice – in three flavours, White Grape, Red Grape and Strawberry
Wanis – Making a bold statement
• Wanis’s brands are key players in their category, and their trucks are branded to offer mobile advertising as they travel around the country.
• Traffic to Wanis’s brand websites (see below) is increasing. The sites are an effective platform to engage consumers with great offers and interactive information.
• Wanis’s Tropical Sun iPhone and iPad applications have also proved a popular consumer engagement tool for sharing recipe videos and feature several interesting recipes submissions, plus a glossary of Afro-Caribbean foods, one of the first of its kind in the UK.
Mastering merchandising
Cross-selling products helps consumers and increases sales whilst maintaining margin. The Tropical Sun Jerk range – Jerk BBQ sauce, BBQ seasoning and Jerk paste – can be sold as a value package for consumers wanting a good BBQ kit. The Tropical Sun range offers great visual equity and comprehensive information on every pack, for high visibility instore, especially where there is little space for display.
Wanis Limited
Tel: 020 8988 1100
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