Tesco makes major change in 220 stores which 'is exactly what customers want'

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Tesco is shaking up the way it sells grapes in a bid to suss out what Brits love most about the fruit.

The UK supermarket giant recognises that while many of us simply see grapes as red, green, or black, there's actually a vineyard of variety out there. In fact, other fruits, like apples, are already sold by their specific types - think Gala or Golden Delicious - guiding customers on taste and texture expectations before they buy. Taking a leaf from the wine aisle’s book, where bottles detail grape type, flavour and style rather than just colour, Tesco has introduced three new categories for packaging its grapes: those with a tropical flavour, a candy flavour, or a particularly crunchy bite.



This trial, currently in 220 stores, is happening alongside Tesco's typical table grape offerings. It is keen to pluck insights from consumer preferences, hoping to perhaps branch out the range further down the line. Initial responses seem to suggest that here in the UK, we're a bunch who go for crunch first, followed by exotic tastes, and then sweetness akin to confectionery.

James Cackett, Tesco’s fruit technical manager, explained: "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 trials, launched in collaboration with Tesco suppliers AMT Fresh and fruit developers Bloom Fresh, aim to "allow us to better gauge and understand the attributes our shoppers prefer". Rachel Botha, head of commercial at AMT Fresh, 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." She also stated that the trial "reflects the strengths of our breeding programmes, the commitment of growers eager to explore new possibilities, and Tesco's openness to pioneering shopper-focused initiatives"..