McConnell sees scope in grapefruit market
Published:Sunday | March 27, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Trade Winds Citrus has introduced a new line of grapefruit juices under the Tru Juice label, available in the standard sizes of half-gallon and one quart.
Trade Winds said the 'no sugar added' flavour is made from two types of "white fleshed" grapefruit: the Marsh Seedless variety grown in St Mary, St Catherine, and Clarendon; and the Silver Cluster, which comes mainly from St Ann.
"We saw an opportunity to satisfy yet another of our consumers' requests by acquiring grapefruit from our local farmers who would not normally sell such large quantities of their fruit," said managing director Peter McConnell in a statement issued by Trade Winds Friday.
The company, whose product portfolio has grown to 23, already manufactures and distributes flavours in orange, ortanique, fruit punch, pineapple, and apple produced under the 'no sugar' label, as well as what Trade Winds refers to as its exotic line - June plum, cherry, otaheite apple, sour sop, sorrel, and tamarind.
Health-conscious consumers
Grapefruit, which is sour to the palate, is not as heavily demanded, but is sought by health-conscious consumers.
McConnell says he hopes to capture a market segment for grapefruit that he says is being served by imports.
"We understand that on average, Jamaicans prefer sweeter juices, but there is a segment of the market that we will capture with this product who would normally purchase an imported product," said McConnell.
"What we have also observed is the increased volume of imported grapefruit products which clearly indicated that persons were interested in the product. We also noted that Jamaican tastes have changed over generations as there is an actual demand where one did not exist in past decades."
He said the juice would be channelled through the "higher-end food chains" as well as supermarkets - the same as for Tru Juice's '100 per cent orange juice', introduced to the market a decade ago this year.