The launch of the first commercials took place in Sanremo: seven recipes, two of which are ready for next summer. Marco Bettonte, Mutti sales director, told: “Not just pasta with tomato sauce, soups are increasing thanks to young consumers”.
The anticipation was communicated in Sanremo with the new commercial: Mutti has entered the Italian market of fresh soups, leading the way to a new segment, the one of tomato soups, strong of a production of 603,000 tonnes of entirely Italian product and a growing turnover, which in 2022 exceeded 550 million Euros. This is an epochal novelty for the Parma-based company, which made its debut in the chilled world from the one of UHT products, maintaining the focus on tomato and Italian tradition. This project concerns around 2 million Euros of investments in marketing for 2023, involving a plurality of channels (TV, digital, social networks, influencers...). Marco Bettonte, Mutti sales manager, explained: “We started with a test in February last year on three very selective brands, because we wanted to verify the concept, from the product to the recipe, to the pack. We then expanded the stores in the large-scale distribution at the end of 2022, but the real launch will be in October 2023. Today we are present on 20% of the market, mainly in the northern area, above all in Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, and Veneto, a little in the Centre and a little bit in the South”.
The fresh soup sector is now made up of three main segments: rich soups, creamy soups (such as velvety soups), and ethnic soups. “We are extending the tomato concept to other product categories, such as fresh, very dynamic soups, which grew quickly, and with a product offering whose first ingredient is tomato, at the heart of our business. It is something that was not on the market. Today, pasta consumption by volume is declining from year to year and is diverted to other dishes, such as soups. And it is interesting for us to approach this market, which has young consumers”.
The range consists of five continuous references: Tomato soup with spelled and lentils, 'Pappa al pomodoro' Tomato soup, Vegetable soup with yellow and red tomatoes, creamy soup with orange tomato and creamy soup with red tomato. Two soups specifically designed for the summer period are added to these: tomato gazpacho and creamy soup with green tomato. “Some soups have a more wintery connotation, such as 'Pomodorata' and 'Minestrone' vegetable soup, others a more summery one, such as the very fresh green Creamy soup, with mint, and Gazpacho, interpreted according to Mutti style. Still others are more transversal, such as 'Pappa al pomodoro'. The goal is to meet the needs and tastes of the consumers, modifying the offer according to the season. The variety of proposals in the world of soups greatly affects the receptivity of the consumers. We have numerous other recipes in progress, which we will gradually propose based on market response and seasonality: from three recipes being tested, we have reached seven in the space of a year. It's a dynamic market”.
Tomato is the first ingredient in all seven recipes and it is exclusively Mutti. Since it was born, this brand stood out for the use of entirely Italian products, which it always purchases from over 800 families of selected farmers, to whom it grants a premium price: “The cultivation land is the standard one; 90% is in the Plain Pô Valley, Emilia-Romagna, and Lombardy; the rest are found in Southern Italy for cherry tomato and long one. The soups are also distinguished by the types of tomatoes: 'Pappa al pomodoro' is prepared with cherry tomatoes, 'Minestrone' with yellow and red tomatoes, Creamy soup with orange tomatoes. The recipes are short and the products are traceable, without preservatives”.
Sustainability for Mutti is a continuous path, applied to all products and packaging. “In this first test phase, the trays are made up of 75% ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) certified bioplastic from the recovery of vegetable residues and are completely recyclable, but we are working to make them increasingly eco-sustainable”.
Sources: reader.paperlit.com
