We’re delighted to announce that we are finalists at the FPC Fresh Awards 2021 for our European Picota cherry campaign, shortlisted for Marketing Campaign of the Year!
As the biggest importer of the variety, the UK is a market where the exclusive, stalkless cherry variety is now well-known and appreciated by consumers. With the 3 million kg of Picotas that were sold in the UK this season, rebranding the product was important as it simply re-emphasized the story of the Picota to meet current customer demands: great taste, exceptional quality, and sustainability.
Revolving around the slogan ‘Pick a Picota: Europe’s Naturally Stalkless Cherry’, the aim of the 2021 year’s campaign was also to realign the Picota cherry branding to celebrate its European heritage, focussing on the sustainable traditions upheld in the Jerte Valley, where they are exclusively grown.
Just some of our highlights include our ‘Pick a Picota Week’ campaign launch on social media, lots of trade coverage, and launching the delicious and inventive Picota recipes that were created by food writers with the likes of Becky Excell and Rhiannon Lambert, encouraging the use of cherries in both baking and cooking.
On the trade side, we held a successful in-person event in London, the first of its kind for Picota Cherries since the start of the pandemic. Key players and journalists came to learn more about the Picota cherry from catering and wholesale experts. The event encouraged more coverage in relevant trade and catering titles, educating the hospitality industry on how Picota cherries can be used innovatively in catering.
This year’s Picota campaign was the first year that it had become part of the wider EU-funded initiative to increase awareness of European produce during a time when the EU has never proved to be so important for UK trade relations.
