Canary Islands’ fruit producers are hoping to beat the recession with an expansion of their exports into the German market. The challenge is to improve the fruit’s poor image there.
The Association of Canary Plantain Producer Organizations, (Asprocan), explained that the German market is still mostly serviced by bananas from Latin America, while in Spain as a whole, and not just in the Canary Islands, three out of four bananas purchased come from the Archipelago.
The growers do not expect to reach this outstanding market share in Germany, but do want to make a place for themselves in the market.
This has already sparked several promotion campaigns. In a 2011 advertising campaign the fruit’s image was displayed on buses. Asprocan also took part in Germany’s Fruit Logistica Fair.
The biggest hurdle to overcome is something simple, but important; the product’s image.
“People do not buy a product if it does not look right and, in the case of Canary bananas, Europeans still associate the characteristic black spots on the fruit as a sign of low quality,” said an Asprocan spokesman.
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