The International Olive Council (IOC) has called for tenders for the 2012/13 phases of its promotions in Brazil and China, both of which are to emphasize olive oil’s health benefits and quality.
The focus in China will be on increasing consumption of olive oil, while that for Brazil will promote table olives too.
Campaign aims: promote health benefits, justify price
The Chinese campaign is to highlight olive oil’s many health benefits, particularly for cardiovascular disease, ageing and diabetes, according to the tender specifications posted on the IOC website on Friday (May 18).
It is to be be made clear that olive oil can be used in both cold and hot dishes and to flavor not only Mediterranean but everyday Chinese cuisine.
“Moreover, the general message based on these distinctive features should be aimed at justifying the price of the product.”
“The relatively high thresholds of production costs make the competitiveness of olive oil reliant on quality more than on price.”
Furthermore, “the campaign should highlight the role of the IOC as a quality certifier and underline the significant progress achieved on quality in all the producing countries,” the document says.
The campaign in Brazil, meanwhile, will have similar aims, also promoting health benefits and the adaptability of both olive oil and table olives to Brazilian cuisine.
Among the objectives are to promote “olive oil’s value for money within the edible oils sector” and “table olives as a unique and very healthy snack — easy to eat, fun to eat.”
Budgets and deadlines
The budget for the China campaign is €591,200 for 2012 and €600,000 for 2013, and that for Brazil is €600,000 for 2012 (€400,000 – 450,000 for olive oil and €150,000 – 200,000 for table olives) and €600,000 for 2013 (€400,000 – 450,000 for olive oil and €150,000 – 200,000 for table olives). The 2013 figures are subject to later confirmation by the IOC.
Both tenders cover the period up to the end of 31 December 2013 and bids must be received by the IOC by this June 22.
The market in China and Brazil
According to the IOC’s April newsletter, olive oil and olive pomace oil imports into China have leaped up 375 percent since 2006/07 to reach 33,227 tons last year.
And according to its March newsletter, Brazil notched its all-time high for olive oil and olive pomace oil imports in 2010/11, topping 65,000 tons and up 21 percent on the season before – making 78 percent growth in five years. Imports of table olives for October-January increased by 22 percent in Brazil
World olive oil imports totalled 652,000 tons in 2009/10, of which the US took 40 percent , Brazil 8 percent, Canada and Japan 6 percent each, and China and Russia 3 percent each.
Among IOC non-member countries, consumption growth this year is expected to total 8.5 percent, driven by the USA, China, Brazil and Canada.
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