Posts Tagged ‘consumer’

Despite, what can only be called challenging trading conditions, this year we have seen a glimmer of hope.  We have started to witness an increase in the interest that chefs are paying to extra virgin olive oil. Some chefs are starting to turn high quality olive oils from a cost to a profit centre by educating their customers on the ways in which different varieties of olive oil can alter the taste of certain dishes. The result is that we have seen an increase in the demand for premium extra virgin olive oils.

At the recent ‘Beyond Extra Virgin’ conference held in Cordoba Spain we saw the continuation of an initiative that has been designed to educate consumers to appreciate the differences between types of olive oil, the main reason being to persuade consumers why they should pay more for oils that have higher quality characteristics. Extra virgin is a catch all category, it is like white wine, it does not allow for the vast differences in varieties and qualities that exist within the category. It is telling that a recent survey by a trade publication found that 90 per cent of Spanish consumers did not know what a single varietal olive oil was, and just 3 per cent of those surveyed managed to name three different types of olive oil. What is of most concern here is that this lack of product knowledge comes from the largest producer of olive oil in the world. The industry only has itself to blame, one of principle reasons for this is that at every level of the consumer chain there is a poverty of accessible and easy to understand information about olive oil and even fewer channels that readily transmit impartial information about quality and price.

Another interesting facet is not only do people not know about only oil – they also don’t know what olive oil should taste like. It comes as no great surprise that in a recent North American survey 74 per cent of consumers disliked the oils categorized as high-quality by expert tasters. High quality oils tend to be bitter and pungent, characteristics that are seen as negative by the average consumer. The authors of the report were quick to point out that this is a natural reaction for new consumers because these qualities are acquired tastes. Consumers preferred oils that came with fruity attributes such as ripe fruit, green tea, butter, green fruit and grassy. These attributes are also considered to be positives attributes but  are more attractive to the average consumer that bitterness and pungency. What is concerning is that 44 per cent of the consumers also liked oils that presented sensory defects like fustiness, mustiness, winey flavour and rancidity. Whilst this report might seem extreme it merely serves to demonstrate how little general knowledge there is in the wider consuming public about olive oil, its grades, what it should taste like and how much it should cost. It is clear that the industry needs to think about how we can educate the consumer.