Increasing Sales & Produce Performance for Fresh Produce Growers

Optimise your harvest, boost retailer uptake, and drive repeat orders through consumer insight and sensory testing.

WHY SALES AND PERFORMANCE MATTER MOST

For growers and producers, everything comes down to performance. You can manage costs, nurture crops, and build relationships; but your success is ultimately measured in sales, profitability, and how well your produce performs in the marketplace.

Performance isn’t just about yield or efficiency. It’s about how your produce looks, tastes, and holds up from dispatch to purchase; and how consumers respond to it. If flavour, freshness, or texture slip, sales quickly follow.

That’s where consumer testing makes a real difference. It helps you go beyond guesswork, understanding how your produce performs in real-world conditions and how shoppers perceive its quality. With that insight, you can make more confident decisions, improve performance, and strengthen long-term demand.

Close-up of gloved hands sorting fresh cherry tomatoes into packaging trays, representing quality control and attention to detail essential for increasing sales and produce performance in the fresh produce industry.

THE FRUSTRATIONS GROWERS FACE

Even the most experienced growers face challenges that affect performance and profitability:

  • Uncertain consumer preferences – knowing which varieties actually appeal most in terms of taste and texture.

  • Variable product quality – natural variation can lead to inconsistent experience across markets.

  • Unclear performance data – limited feedback from retailers and consumers makes it hard to know what drives repeat purchase.

  • Missed sales opportunities – without consumer insight, it’s difficult to demonstrate added value or premium potential.

  • Retailer pressure – needing evidence to show reliability, quality, and differentiation.

Each of these factors impacts sales and long-term relationships. The challenge isn’t growing great produce; it’s understanding how it performs once it reaches the people who buy and eat it.

Close-up of damaged corn on the plant, illustrating the quality and yield challenges growers must overcome when increasing sales and produce performance in the fresh produce industry.

HOW CONSUMER TESTING IMPROVES SALES & PERFORMANCE

Our Fresh Produce Consumer Testing Programme gives you the insight to optimise performance at every stage of your commercial journey.

By gathering feedback from real consumers, you can:

  • Identify top-performing varieties – understand which crops deliver the best taste, texture, and visual appeal.

  • Optimise harvest timing – learn how small shifts in maturity affect quality and consumer preference.

  • Reduce waste – align product presentation and freshness perception with shopper expectations.

  • Increase retailer confidence – share meaningful data that proves consumer appeal and consistency.

  • Drive repeat orders – demonstrate to buyers that your produce performs strongly with consumers time after time.

These insights let you focus investment where it delivers most value; and show retailers why your produce earns its place on the shelf.

Farmer smiling in a green bean field while holding a crate of freshly harvested produce, symbolising quality, productivity, and dedication to increasing sales and produce performance through better growing and testing practices.

THE VALUE FOR GROWERS AND PRODUCERS

The Fresh Produce Consumer Testing Programme is already helping growers across the UK and Europe better understand their products and strengthen performance through consumer insight.

Growers use this approach to:

  • Compare varieties to understand which perform best with consumers.

  • Refine harvest timing and handling practices to improve product consistency.

  • Enhance packaging and presentation based on sensory response.

  • Strengthen buyer conversations by sharing independent consumer-led insight.

The result is simple; greater confidence in your products and more informed decisions that lead to measurable commercial improvement.

Hands holding freshly picked red currants beside a thriving bush, representing the quality, freshness, and attention to detail that drive increasing sales and produce performance for growers and suppliers in the fresh produce market.

WHY THIS APPROACH WORKS

Consumer testing aligns your business with what really matters: how your produce performs in the hands of shoppers.

  • Real-world feedback – data comes directly from consumers, reflecting true perceptions of quality, freshness, and appeal.

  • Commercial focus – sensory testing isn’t theoretical; it connects directly to retailer expectations and buying behaviour.

  • Continuous improvement – tracking over multiple seasons helps refine decisions year after year.

This isn’t about replacing your expertise; it’s about empowering it with evidence that helps you act with precision and confidence.

Pumpkins growing in a sunlit field at harvest time, illustrating how improving crop quality and consistency contributes to increasing sales and produce performance for growers and suppliers in the fresh produce sector.

By engaging with our Fresh Produce Consumer Testing Programme, you’ll gain:

  • Varietal performance reports – comparing consumer perception of taste, texture, and appearance across your crops.

  • Harvest optimisation insight – guidance on when produce delivers peak sensory performance.

  • Consumer feedback – real opinions on what shoppers value and why they choose (or don’t choose) your produce.

  • Retailer-ready outputs – concise reports that demonstrate your commitment to understanding and improving performance.

  • Seasonal tracking – longitudinal data showing how your product evolves and performs over time.

These insights help you move from reactive adjustments to proactive, evidence-led decisions that drive consistent commercial growth.

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM OUR TESTING PROGRAMME

Fresh vegetables displayed with digital performance data overlays, symbolising how insights and analytics support increasing sales and produce performance for growers, suppliers, and retailers in the fresh produce industry.

WHY NOW?

The market is moving fast, and consumer expectations are higher than ever:

  • Retailers compete fiercely for suppliers who can demonstrate quality and consistency.

  • Consumers demand more; better flavour, texture, and visual appeal.

  • Sustainability and waste reduction are top priorities for every supply chain.

  • Margins are tighter; every small improvement in performance matters.

Consumer testing gives you the clarity to meet these pressures head-on and the confidence to prove your produce performs where it matters most; with the people buying it.

Person selecting fresh cherry tomatoes from a bowl in a kitchen setting, representing how consumer engagement and product quality contribute to increasing sales and produce performance for growers and suppliers.

IMAGINE THE DIFFERENCE

Imagine sitting down with a retailer, not just to present your produce, but to share data showing:

  • Which varieties consumers prefer and why.

  • How appearance and freshness perception influence purchase intent.

  • What drives satisfaction and repeat purchase in your category.

  • How your produce stands out against comparable options.

Instead of competing on price alone, you’ll compete; and win; on proven consumer appeal and consistent performance.

Fresh produce display with colourful peppers, broccoli, grapes, and other vegetables in a supermarket, showcasing the importance of quality, presentation, and freshness in increasing sales and produce performance across the supply chain.

WHY WORK WITH US

For over 30 years, we’ve worked with growers, retailers, and suppliers across the food and drink industry; helping them understand consumer behaviour and translate sensory data into commercial advantage.

We combine sensory expertise with practical, business-focused insight. Our work is about turning consumer feedback into clear, actionable guidance that helps you sell more, waste less, and build stronger relationships with your buyers.

Supermarket cashier scanning a bag of fresh potatoes, symbolising how efficiency, quality assurance, and consumer trust play key roles in increasing sales and produce performance across retail and supply chains.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Talk to our team today about your research needs, we’d love to help.