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During the past decade developing markets have been an important source of growth in the global meal solutions marketplace. According to Euromonitor International data, the Eastern European market accounted for 31% of global sales growth (in US$ fixed exchange rate value terms) in the chilled processed food segment over 1998-2007. Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 35% of growth in sales of dried processed food during the same period.
Much of this growth has been driven by indigenous firms which have exploited national and region variations in taste to build strong brands. Although the increasing westernisation of tastes and greater private label competition now pose significant threats to growth, these manufacturers are fighting back with value-added offerings and increasingly diversified product portfolios.
Pelmeni dominates frozen processed food segment in Russia
In Russia, for example, local players accounted for the largest share of total current value sales in frozen processed food, with no multinational company ranking in the top 10. This is partly because leading firms such as Kachestvennye Produkty and its rivals Ravioli and Darya have adapted their offerings to local culinary culture, producing products based on such traditional Russian dishes as pelmeni (dough or pasta 'pockets' filled with meat, vegetables and other ingredients). Trade sources estimate that pelmeni accounts for over half of frozen processed food sales in Russia's urban markets.
Numerous regional companies also play an important role in this market. For example, in Yekaterinburg (Russia's fifth largest city, with a population of 1.3 million), sales of pelmeni are dominated by a local producer, ...