The company, which manufacturers retortable packages, has seen increased interest in evaporated milk, ready meals based on rice and pasta in West Africa, and indigenous local products, such as dips and sauces, in the Middle East.
Speaking to BakeryandSnacks from Gulfood Manufacturing at Dubai World Trade Centre (November 7-9), Thierry Gihan marketing director, Tetra Recart, said its an exciting time for retortable packages as they have changed the direction of their strategy.
“Before, Tetra Recart focused on Europe and North America, which is the traditional canned food industry for our products, but we have now changed this to a global strategy, tapping into the whole sales force of Tetra Pak and exploring new categories and sizes,” he said.
Tetra Recart currently supplies more than 130 brands in over 50 markets. It sells various types of food, such as vegetables, beans, tomatoes, soups and sauces, in its packages to retailers like Sainsbury’s, ASDA, COOP and Safeway in the UK.
Anders Lindgren, vice president and MD, Tetra Recart, said it has seen increased interest from South Africa and Middle East food producers to adopt new types of packaging formats for all types of foods.
“There are a lot of opportunities in Asia and China, not just the traditional markets we serve. We are strengthening our portfolio of long shelf life food products for those markets and developing specific products for different geographical regions, like hummus and chickpeas,” he added.
“Our retort packages are not just for vegetables, soups and baked beans, but food that ties in with certain food habits. For example, Africa is demanding more affordable, ready-to-eat, safe packages.”
Dips and sauces for EMEA
Lindgren said he has seen prospects in Nigeria, South Africa, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, and wants to further drive Tetra Recart as a business potential for Tetra Pak.
“There are opportunities in evaporated milk, ready meals based on rice and pasta in West Africa, and indigenous local products, such as dips and sauces in the Middle East,” he said.
The company already has a partnership with Al-Rabie Saudi Foods Company for beans, and Gihan added, it is expecting to get more traction in these areas with their products.
“We have created a brand new 15oz size for the US market. We are finding that we can break normal size standards and can play with promotional opportunities on the packaging itself. The canned food industry is very standardised, but this is not adhering to what consumers want. We believe it’s more interesting to explore other pack sizes than what the market is offering today,” he added.
Tomatoes in a pack
The latest development has seen Tetra Recart partner with Portuguese brand Guloso for its chopped tomatoes, which switched from cans. The range includes fresh chopped tomatoes, chopped tomatoes with garlic, with onion and basil, and with oregano.
“We can deliver Guloso whole peeled tomatoes in a carton; the only carton package in the world that can contain such large particulates of tomato. It is manufactured in Portugal and sold across Sweden and the UK,” said Gihan.
