T&G Global, Euro-Atlantic, JD Fresh, Noel Shield win 2020 Asia Fruit Awards
Leading apple grower-marketer T&G Global, Malaysian importer Euro-Atlantic, JD.com’s fresh food business JD Fresh and experienced Asia produce executive Noel Shield have scooped up the prestigious 2020 Asia Fruit Awards.
The ASIA FRUIT AWARDS, the annual pan-Asian awards for the fresh produce business, are presented by Asia Fruit Logistica and Asiafruit Magazine The awards celebrate excellence and recognise outstanding achievement for the best players in Asia’s fresh fruit and vegetable business, with the winners selected by the two organisations.
The winners were announced at Asia Fruit Congress On, Asia’s premier conference event for fresh produce decision-makers, which took place online today for the first time in its more than 20-year history. Asia Fruit Congress On livestreamed from Asia Fruit Logistica On, the new online meeting place for the thousands of visitors who attend Asia’s premier fresh fruit and vegetable trade show every year, with the winners beamed in to accept their accolades.
The Asia Fruit Award is given in three core categories – ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year’, ‘Importer of the Year’ and ‘Produce Retailer of the Year’ – while the Impact Award recognises a person or a company who has made a significant contribution to developing the fresh produce business in Asia.
MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR: T&G GLOBAL
T&G Global, the New Zealand-headquartered global fresh produce marketer, won the Marketing Campaign of the Year. The powerhouse apple grower-marketer was recognised for its pan-Asia efforts to promote and position Envy and Jazz apples as premium brands.
Introducing the winner, Asiafruit Magazine editor John Hey said the award recognized T&G Global’s efforts over a number of years, and across a number of markets in Asia. T&G has invested heavily in developing its in-market presence, people and resources, with offices in Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. This network and infrastructure have enabled the company to develop direct relationships with trade and consumers across these markets, he noted.
In Thailand, T&G has made a foray into supermarket retail channels with Jazz and Envy and built awareness via social media. In Vietnam, Envy dominates sales, but T&G has also developed demand for Jazz as a uniquely tangy-sweet refreshing apple. The group has also marketed smaller-sized pre-packed Jazz apples in Asia as a healthy snack targeted at the whole family.
Japan is a tough market to crack for imported apples, but T&G Global has invested to position Jazz as a premium imported apple. The programme includes PR, inspirational recipes from key opinion leaders, and in-store activations to build theatre and create an ‘orchard experience’.
Envy is the focal point of T&G’s campaign in China, where the company effectively pivoted its promotions to O2O and digital platforms after COVID-19 restricted in-store activations. Tmall live samplings with Chinese actress Liu Tao further strengthened the position of Envy as the ultimate premium apple that engages all five senses.
T&G Global’s head of global marketing, Rebecca Chapman, accepted the award.
“Asia is a key region for T&G Global and is pivotal for the success of our flagship Jazz and Envy apples. This award reflects the creative marketing efforts from our Asia team and our passion to bring our growers’ great tasting, high-quality apples to consumers all over the world,” said Chapman.
“It’s a real honour for T&G Global to be recognised with this award, and it will give our global teams the energy to continue to challenge boundaries and connect with consumers in even more innovative ways.”