Peach festival consumer insights of white peaches Dr. Amy Bowen
Yellow vs. white fleshed peach Ontario Tender Fruit Growers University of Guelph peach breeding program Dr. Jay Subramanian
Introduction Research Question: 1) Do consumers have a preference for yellow flesh peaches compared to white flesh peaches? 2) Can we identify factors that explain a trend in preference? Accomplished through: 1) Consumer preference 2) Consumer comments 3) Descriptive Profiling (Vineland trained sensory panel) 4) Online survey
The consumers Niagara-on-the-Lake peach festival 313 Consumers Consumers recruited as they walked though the festival Testing completed at stations set up at the festival August 13, 2016
The products Provided by University of Guelph White Peach V99322 Grown in Vineland, Ontario University of Guelph Yellow Peach HW272 Grown in Vineland, Ontario Agriculture and Agri- Food Canada
Evaluation
Demographic breakdown 313 consumers Age (yrs) 18-34 = 17% 35-51 = 23% 51+ = 60% Gender Female = 67% Male = 33% Region of residence Niagara/Central ON = 48% Toronto = 20% Canada (other) = 14% International = 18% Ethnicity (descent) European = 76% South Asian = 10% Southeast Asian = 14%
Familiarity with white flesh peaches Familiarity Percentage Extremely 7% Moderately 18% Somewhat 21% Slightly 23% Not at all 31%
Consumer preference Yellow peach was preferred Preference Yellow peach White peach No preference 70% 30% 4% Statistics: Paired preference: V-power, 2-AFC, a=0.05 *Consumer sample not representative of the general population but still provides useful insights
Preference choice Common themes for preference Juiciness Sweetness Peach flavour Yellow peach Familiarity tasted like a peach Appearance looks like a peach White peach Unfamiliarity Is that an apple? Less ripe
Preference trends Ethnicity predicted liking Consumers of Asian descent were more likely to prefer the white peaches compare to consumers of European descent Region of residence predicted familiarity International consumers were more likely to state familiarity with white fleshed peaches Canadian consumers living outside of Ontario were least likely to be familiar with white flesh peaches Statistics: Chi-square, a=0.10 *Consumer sample not representative of the general population but still provides useful insights
2 Peaches (White and Yellow) 9 Sensory profile Descriptive Analysis Trained Panelists (8 Female, 1 Male) 14 Sensory Attributes Attributes Aroma/flavour overall aromatic intensity smell, citrus, tropical fruit, vegetal, overall aromatic intensity taste Taste/mouthfeel sweet, acid, bitter, astringent Texture firmness, juicy, chewy, smoothness of flesh, mealy
Sensory difference Descriptive Analysis mealy OAI-smell 100.0 80.0 citrus yellow flesh white flesh smoothness of flesh 60.0 tropical fruit 40.0 chewy* 20.0 vegetal 0.0 juicy OAI - taste firmness* sweet astringent* acidic bitter* Statistics: 2-way ANOVA, a=0.05
Conclusions & Recommendations Consumer preference 70% of consumers preferred yellow flesh peach Consumers stated preference due to juiciness, sweetness and flavour. Preference linked to familiarity. Market expansion: Asian market 30% of consumers prefer the white flesh peach More likely to be of Asian descent 3.5M South Asians currently in Canada, populations expected double by 2031 Excellent opportunity for market expansion Increase white peach familiarity Only 26% of consumers stated familiarity Many consumers commented that they liked both peaches Increase consumer engagement through marketing communication and tasting events. Familiarity important to increased preference
Online survey 1380 consumer of Asian or Middle Eastern descent
Questions
Demographic breakdown 1380 consumers Age (yrs) 18-34 = 49% 35-51 = 37% 51+ = 14% Gender Female = 56% Male = 44% Ethnicity (descent) East Asian = 33% Middle Eastern or North Africa = 17% South Asian = 33% Southeast Asian = 17%
Familiarity with white flesh peaches Familiarity % (313) % (1380) Extremely 7% 19% Moderately 18% 28% Somewhat 21% 24% Slightly 23% 18% Not at all 31% 11% 84% are able to purchase white flesh peaches at least some of the time 64% would purchase white flesh peaches (either on their own or in combination with yellow flesh)
Purchase habits East Asian (e.g. China, Japan, Korea) More likely to be familiar with white flesh peaches More likely to purchase white flesh peaches When available more likely to choose white fleshed over yellow flesh peaches Southeast Asian (e.g. Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia) Least likely to be familiar with white flesh peaches Least likely to purchase white flesh peaches South Asian (e.g. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) Less likely to purchase white flesh peaches More likely to purchase yellow flesh peaches North African or Middle Eastern Least likely to be familiar with white flesh peaches If familiar, more likely to purchase white flesh peaches
Other trends Age Consumer 18-35 years old more likely to be extremely familiar with white flesh peaches Consumer 36-50 years old, less likely to be familiar with white flesh peaches Culturally Canadian Consumer who identify culturally as Canadian are more likely to purchase white flesh peaches than those who don t'
Take home message Market opportunity for white flesh peaches In the GTA, the visible minority will be the majority by 2017 (55%) $5 billion retail opportunity Ontario grown white flesh peaches are a new market opportunity Data from Stats Canada Figure from Nielsen Canada
Acknowledgements My team @ Vineland Amy Blake Jessica Turecek Carly Flemming Samantha Sergnese Michael Kauzlaric Ontario Tender Fruit Growers University of Guelph Jay Subramanian and Glen Alm Funding provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada s Agri-Innovation Program Niagara-on-the-Lake Peach Festival Committee
Thank You Contact Information: Amy Bowen Research Program Leader, Consumer Insights amy.bowen@vinelandresearch.com