Nuts are an alluring delicacy, an indispensable source of useful minerals and vitamins. Few can resist them if there are no medical restrictions. That is why it is a great business and a huge international market.
Of course, the fall of the ruble and the start of sanctions, hurt the purse lovers of nuts. The cost has sharply rushed up and do not rush to fall even today. Although there is a slight downward trend, according to official statistics, there is a slight.
I want to believe that the driver here is the increased volume of own production in the Crimea, which today accounts for the bulk of the capacity:
I myself once thought about starting a small production of peanut butter. The necessary equipment could be purchased in the USA or China, and the market was almost empty at that time. I just had to become a regular customer at iHerb, so I liked nut paste. In large retail chains, it was an extremely scarce product, and so-called health food stores were rare even in the regional capital.
However, with the beginning of a new era of confrontation, my plans did not come true. Although some conditional revival in the market took place, though the quality left much to be desired, and something was just disgusting, both the taste and appearance. Our approach to short-term investments and the desire to repel them instantly played a cruel joke with domestic players, quickly washing them out of the market. Resell it was easier than to produce and today I do bother to take the paste of Indian production in the store across the road. The price tag was quite balanced and pleasant. In another Federal network, the cost of peanuts butter from the United States increased so much that it is cheaper to order online.
However, problems with the range are very noticeable. Nuts and dried fruits have occupied the traditional segment and are in no hurry to offer something more exclusive. Although the risks for suppliers and importers are clear, the product is still limited in shelf life, and given the cost to the end user, reaches and exceeds one thousand rubles ($16) per kilogram, the same cashew or pistachios, with expensive nuts no one wants to communicate. Just today I watched on the supermarket shelf under a hundred packages of nuts and mixtures with the expiration date in June.
It seems that more advantageous to look deals from small bazaar stores
or markets, where they sell nuts and dried fruits by weight, but in reality the cost may not be different or be meager. And the choice will be even more meager. Even Brazil nuts are becoming a rare guest on these shelves, I will not talk about pecans or macadamia at all.
Against the background of the increased cost, a cheaper group made a fairer and more reasonable leap. Peanuts in all kinds of glazes and separate shelves of sunflower seeds and pumpkins. Here the struggle is only between marketers. Who better to pump your brand and he will be the king of sales. Himself last week seduced by the beautiful packaging and delicious description, it is a pity that the content is pumped up, but produced under a new domestic brand, with all the consequences.
The increase in the cost did not leave aside the producers of various energy bars made from natural products - nuts, cereals, dried fruits and honey. Everything goes into action, multiplying the cost of raw materials in the finished product several times. Look at the counters at the cash desks, traditional bars of chocolate, now modestly huddle on the remaining centimeters. I would proudly exclaim that here it is, the heyday of a new nation of healthy eating, but no - just competition and good profits, pushing for entry into the game all new participants.
Honey producers are also trying to keep up with the supply and supply. Increased competition here really had a positive effect, greatly expanding the taste line and not afraid of bold experiments. Here of course it is worth noting that the raw material is internal, so the possibilities are much more.
The market for granola and muesli is still seriously behind, but it is possible that this direction is actively promoted in health food stores. We have a competitive struggle between the limited, fingers of one hand, the number of Federal networks that do not please with diversity. I have long had a strong feeling that the range of products began to match the eighty percent, and any rare novelty immediately catches the eye. However for those who are trying to save, it is quite convenient to pave the route of movement to the shops through the same mobile application, collecting the necessary food basket on the way.
The sanctions policy has seriously hit the nut market in our country, breaking many of the usual ties and supply chains. The first wave of the line of import substitution has left a rather dubious impression. Of course new countries suppliers were soon found, but the increased due to the exchange rate difference we can not overcome. At the same time, many companies are trying to actively increase the added value of the finished raw materials, presenting it to us as a healthy snack or useful candy. That's just the market of pure raw materials, everything is very ambiguous. When other countries increase their consumption every year, we were finally able to reach the sales and consumption levels of 2013 only at the very end of last year.
