What does the future of consuming soft fruit look like according to the consumer?

Driscoll’s is the global market leader in the soft fruit category, including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and other berries. These are small, delicate fruits that require careful packaging, transport, and sale. In addition to these logistical challenges, farmers and growers worldwide are also facing the consequences of climate change. Weather patterns are shifting, soil is becoming more acidic, and water is increasingly scarce. All good reasons to reassess the vision and strategy for the medium term. After all, in a project five years earlier, Six Fingers had correctly predicted five out of seven consumer trends.

The challenge
Consumers want nothing but the best. They are accustomed to perfect fruit, without bruises or discolouration. But how long can this standard be maintained, and is there a chance that consumers will adjust their expectations?

In the research preceding the formulation of the vision and strategy, we placed the consumer at the centre. How will consumers behave in the year 2032, and what will that mean for Driscoll’s? The results were presented on a ranch in California, complete with a themed lunch and dinner featuring alternative, water-efficient food sources such as cactus. In this way, we brought participants as close to the future as possible.

The insight
Not every theme is relevant to every target group. Depending on overarching values—for example, based on generational cohorts—consumers will have differing expectations of Driscoll’s in the future. Younger generations, for instance, will expect a stronger online presence, even though this may currently feel like an insignificant concern for a fruit grower.

Driscoll’s will also play a role in reshaping consumer expectations. Resources are finite, and consumers will need to become more aware of this. Due to factors such as climate change and logistical challenges, it will not always be possible to guarantee that berries look perfect. However, this does not detract from their taste, and throwing them away would be a great waste.

We demonstrated how Driscoll’s can better manage consumer expectations through communication, traceability and packaging design. Our research was consolidated into seven future themes that define the consumer of 2032. These themes formed the starting point for a new vision and strategy for Driscoll’s.