The winning products include meat pastries, produced by the family business Caro Ferina; granola by Mendula Bakery; low-calorie soft drinks made with wine vinegar from Shrub Hungary, plant-based fruit ice pops from manufacturer Anjuna Ice Pops, Legjava jams and creams, Vegendás vegetable stock, fried meat in fat from Prizma-Bautim; as well as gluten-, milk-, and sugar-free cakes produced by Vagamary.
The “Hungaricool” competition, held from 27 June to 24 August 2019, is exceptional in the Hungarian market. The organisers, SPAR Hungary and the Agricultural Marketing Centre (AMC), were searching for creative and local food products with a focus on sustainability.
The products considered to be the most promising by the professional jury entered the competition at last year’s National Agricultural and Food Exhibition and Fair (OMÉK).
As part of the competition, the producers behind the best products participated in a half-year mentorship programme, covering the areas of marketing, market research, buying, company law, quality awareness & quality management, logistics, and finance.
External and internal mentors, experts in the field of logistics, buying or product design, gave valuable training and support to the small local businesses.
The best-rated products are now available in all 34 INTERSPAR Hypermarkets nationwide and online. The assistance given to the winning businesses is multi-faceted: besides distribution, the winners receive marketing and business support from the SPAR team.
“Our important strategic objective is that Hungarian quality food products become increasingly recognised in our stores. Local products demonstrate our commitment to Hungarian farmers and family businesses, the Hungarian agriculture, and processing industry”, said Márk Maczelka, Head of Communications at SPAR Hungary.
“The ‘Hungaricool by SPAR’ competition involved almost 300 companies and is an essential part of our strategy to partner with domestic producers. We believe in the power and talent of small, local businesses, and we are delighted that we can offer our customers innovative and high-quality Hungarian products in our stores”, he added.
Source: SPAR Hungary
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About SPAR Hungary
The first SPAR Supermarket opened in Hungary in 1992, following the acquisition by ASPIAG (Austria SPAR International AG) of a majority stake in General Kereskedelmi Rt. Since its launch, SPAR Hungary has been actively involved in the development of the retail industry in the country.
The move to license independent retailers to operate the SPAR Brand has proven successful for Hungary, with new stores meeting the needs of a larger number of shoppers. The retailers benefit from becoming part of the SPAR organisation with access to own brand products, operating systems and the brand, whilst consumers enjoy the increased number of store locations.
