Tesco launches biggest ever survey into British grape-buying preferences
24th February 2025
The biggest ever survey into Brits’ grape-buying preferences is underway in order to establish exactly what it is that consumers want.
The trial, called Fruitology, is taking place in Tesco stores across the UK, with the aim of establishing exactly what British consumers want.
The trial is being conducted exclusively by Tesco, under the Jaffa brand, in conjunction with Peterborough-based global fruit importers Amt Fresh, parent company Amfresh Group, and global fruit developers, Bloomfresh.
In order to establish shoppers’ grape preferences, Tesco is selling the fruit in clearly labelled packaging by one of three main criteria: tropical flavour, candy flavour and crunchiness.
Early feedback from the trials, which are taking place in 220 large-format Tesco stores across the UK, has revealed that UK shoppers favour their grapes primarily for crunchy texture, next for tropical flavour, and lastly for candy flavour.
Consumers’ grape eating preferences
Tesco fruit technical manager James Cackett said: “If you ask anyone how many grape varieties there are, most people are likely to tell you three – red, green and black.
“And that was pretty much the case until the turn of the century when fruit breeders began looking at how to naturally improve flavour, crunchiness and sweetness, which is a wholly natural process, to deliver better quality grapes all round.
“Now with the advance in breeding technology, we have the possibility to draw from many hundreds of new grape varieties, which will allow us to deliver exactly what our customers want, and that’s the reason why we have set up these trials.
“The Fruitology trials allow us to better gauge and understand the attributes our shoppers prefer.”
Rachel Botha, head of commercial at Amt Fresh, explained the background to the programme.
She said: “This project, which we are implementing with Tesco through the Jaffa brand, is the most far-reaching research ever undertaken in the UK to understand British consumers’ table grape eating preferences, redefining the way they are segmented and marketed.
“We are working with the world’s foremost fruit breeding companies to supply the grapes that British shoppers want to consistently see on supermarket shelves. Thanks to advances in technology, we now have the ability to do just that.
“The Fruitology project reflects the strengths of our breeding programmes, the commitment of growers eager to explore new possibilities, and Tesco’s openness to pioneering shopper-focussed initiatives.”
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