Brexit is not scary for the Cirio tomato, which in 2020 conquered the tables of the British confirming its first place in the hit parade of the best-selling Italian tomato brands in the United Kingdom. The turnover last year recorded an increase in sales, doubling the boom that, in the months preceding the exit from the European Union, affected the whole tomato sector, which grew by 23% in just one year, explains a note from Conserve. Italia, the group that controls the historic brand.

"Our growth trend - explains Diego Pariotti, Foreign Commercial Director of Conserve Italia, a cooperative consortium owner of the Cirio brand which has over 160 years of history - should not be read as a simple result of that panic buying in the first months of the pandemic it affected almost all foodstuffs”. And he continues: "From the analysis of the data it emerges that it was precisely in the second half, when the panic effect disappeared, that Cirio products recorded the greatest growth (more than double the market), demonstrating that a good number of unusual consumers who tried Cirio during the months of the lockdown, then reconfirmed their appreciation for the brand as soon as the influx into supermarkets settled at more usual levels in the second half of the year”.

Currently, Cirio's share is approximately 10% of the tomato market in the United Kingdom, including sales in large-scale distribution and independent brands: it is the best-selling Italian brand in the United Kingdom and the second in absolute in the category of red preserves.

To consolidate the excellent market performance, Conserve Italia has recently launched a new advertising campaign, digital and television, with the claim “The quality that comes from our farmers ' fields”. The communication campaign, which will be on air until May, hinges on a key asset of Cirio's positioning, namely that of being a product that comes from a cooperative chain of over 14,000 Italian farmer members, sealed with the "Farmer Owned " brand .

"We want to continue our commitment to offer British consumers our quality range, at the best possible price - continues Pariotti - while guaranteeing the fair reward of our cooperative supply chain, tracked and monitored from seed to table and which respects strict ethical policies. and it is also a sustainable supply chain because it minimizes its impact on the environment".

At the same time as this communication campaign, a social competition entitled "The Cirio Challenge " (#CirioChallenge) has also started, which aims to bet on the quality of the products: if the consumer does not understand the difference, the company is ready to return the money from the purchase of the products ( love it, or money back! ).

To participate in the competition, it is necessary to publish videos on social channels in which consumers create dishes using Cirio products; The involvement of English bloggers is also expected to illustrate the preparation of recipes with videos broadcast on the Facebook, Instagram and YouTube platforms.