This week, one of our European agents, Bösch Boden Spies, takes on the ITG blog to give an update from Germany. 

Bösch Boden Spies is Ocean Spray’s exclusive agent in Germany, France and Spain as well as other European countries. We’d like to use this blog to highlight our latest cranberry consumer research findings. 

We interviewed German consumers on their eating habits and preferences to ensure we stay up-to-date with market demands. The research revealed exciting news – sweetened dried cranberries (SDCs) were the only dried fruit to grow in popularity among German consumers last year. We believe this is due to increased awareness and improved availability of cranberries.

Sweetened dried cranberries are becoming part of a staple diet for many people in Germany. According to our research, the typical consumer of SDCs is health conscious, employed, female, and is often the main person responsible for grocery shopping in their household.

The healthy snacking market is growing, as consumers look for delicious and nutritious foods they can eat on-the-go.  This has boosted demand for ingredients like cranberry that can liven up a trail mix or cereal bar with bright points of color and a distinctive fruity taste. The research found that dried cranberries are often consumed as part of a trail mix, as they boost the visual appeal and the nutritional content of healthy snacks.

The healthy snacking trend encourages innovative and convenient snack products to pique consumer interest. We’re thrilled to see that dried cranberries can rise to the challenge!