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A UK supermarket is experimenting with a new way to sell grapes, categorising them by flavour and texture rather than just colour.
Tesco said it recognises that while shoppers typically choose between red, green, or black grapes, hundreds of varieties exist, each with unique characteristics. The trial, taking place in 220 stores, introduces three new labels: “tropical flavour,” “candy flavour,” and “crunchy.”
This approach mirrors how other fruits, like apples, are sold, with varieties such as Gala and Braeburn clearly labelled. Tesco also points to the wine industry, where flavour profiles and grape types are key selling points, as further justification for this innovative labelling. The new categories are being offered alongside the existing range of table grapes.
Initial feedback suggests that “crunchy” is the most popular characteristic among UK shoppers, followed by “tropical flavour,” and then “candy flavour.” Tesco aims to use the trial’s findings to better understand customer preferences and potentially expand the range of labelled grapes in the future.
Tesco hopes to learn more about shopper preferences through the trial and could look to expand the range.
It said that early feedback indicated that UK shoppers favour their grapes primarily by crunchy texture, next by tropical flavour and lastly by candy flavour.
Tesco fruit technical manager James Cackett said: “If you ask anyone how many grape varieties there are, most people are likely to tell you three – red, green and black.
“And that was pretty much the case until the turn of the century when fruit breeders began looking at how to naturally improve flavour, crunchiness and sweetness, which is a wholly natural process, to deliver better quality grapes all round.
“Now with the advance in breeding technology we have the possibility to draw from many hundreds of new grape varieties which will allow us to deliver exactly what our customers want, and that’s the reason why we have set up these trials.”
He said that they will “allow us to better gauge and understand the attributes our shoppers prefer”.
The trial is being carried out together with Tesco suppliers AMT Fresh, a Peterborough-based global fruit importer, and leading global fruit developers Bloom Fresh.
Rachel Botha, head of commercial at AMT Fresh, said: “This project, which we are implementing with Tesco through the Jaffa brand, is the most far-reaching research ever undertaken in the UK to understand British consumers’ table grape-eating preferences, redefining the way they are segmented and marketed.
“We are working with the world’s foremost fruit breeding companies to supply the grapes that British shoppers want to consistently see on supermarket shelves.
“Thanks to advances in technology we now have the ability to do just that.”
She said that the trial “reflects the strengths of our breeding programmes, the commitment of growers eager to explore new possibilities, and Tesco’s openness to pioneering shopper-focused initiatives”.
