Making PL With Taste
By Sabine Geissler

Balsamic vinegar from Modena under the Conad Sapori Dintorni brand and the basic PAM brand.

While extra virgin olive oil remains an Italian food staple, balsamic vinegar grows in popularity.

Oils and a small choice of simple condiments are important ingredients in Italian cuisine. Among the most popular oils in Italy are regular olive oil and extra virgin olive oil, which are staple ingredients in the Mediterranean Diet and in the Italian kitchen: Without extra virgin olive oil the dish is not considered by some to be a real Italian dish.

Many Italian condiments are made with olive oil. For example the famous pesto and olive pâtés and there are also ready-made salad condiments with a mix of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Keeping it Basic

PLI visited several stores in the PAM Group, and found that the private label assortment generally covers all the basics and the most popular and traditional products.

PAM also offers specialty and gourmet food lines under the private label “Tesori dell’Arca” (which means “Treasures of the Ark”), including regional and DOP specialties.

During the store visits, however, it seems as if this range is developing slower than Conad, Coop or Carrefour Italia.

PAM Group is a privately owned retail chain which operates in the North and Central Italian regions Abruzzo, Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Piemonte and Toscana, with the banners PAM (supermarkets), Panorama, Pam Superstore and Superal Superstore (hypermarkets), In’s Mercato (discount) and Metà Supernegozi (neighborhood stores operated in franchising), with a total of about 530 stores in Italy.

The general PAM private label assortment includes about 1000 items and PAM declares that the consumer saves about 15% - 35% when buying these products when compared to the same items under the producer’s brand.

All of the PAM private label products have a shelf-talker to attract the attention of the consumer. The package design displays simple product photos and the packaging features clear product information.

Vinegar Varieties

Balsamic vinegar of Modena is a famous Italian condiment – formerly a niche product made by some small producers in and around Modena, balsamic vinegar has become a best-seller worldwide.

There are many different types of balsamic vinegar, with enormous differences in quality and price: the cheaper mass market product is made not only with grape must, but also with wine vinegar and colorants, while the “real and original” condiment is made from grape must only and the production process is long and delicate, a real art. During visits to the PAM stores, seen on shelves were the basic varieties of red wine vinegar (0.74 euros / 500 ml), white wine vinegar at the same price, as well as apple vinegar at 1.74 euros in a one liter bottle.

The Balsamic vinegar Aceto Balsamico di Modena is offered under the basic PAM brand and it is claimed to be “ripened in oak drums,” this item is a mass market product and comes at a price of 1.78 euros / 500 ml.

In the condiment aisles shoppers can find PAM private label mayonnaise in tubes (0.67 euros / 150 ml) and in big and small glass jars, as well as sauces with a mayonnaise base: the “Salsa Tonnata” (with mayonnaise and tuna fish paste), “Salsa rosa” (pink-colored sauce) and “Salsa Tartara,” prepared with a mayonnaise base and enriched with a paste of vegetables & pickles” (all in glass jar at 1.42 euros / 250 ml).

Looking for typical Italian specialties, PAM offers the popular Pesto Genovese, made with fresh basil at a price of 1.59 euros / 190 g glass jar. Further Pesto varieties or specialties like olive pâté are not available under PAM private label at press time.

Back to Olive Oil

Both PAM and Conad feature a variety of extra virgin olive oil.

Italy is among the top 3 olive oil producing countries in the world. The world production of olive oil is about 2.9 million tons, of which about 75% are produced in the South European countries, first of all in Spain (50% of that amount), in Italy (about 30%) and Greece (about 18%). These figures (from 2007) include the various qualities of olive oil, i.e. the extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed olive oil, obtained by the first and only mechanical pressing process of the olives), the normal olive oil (obtained in the second pressing, it is allowed to use solvents) and the “olio di sansa,” which is obtained from the rests of the first two pressing processes.

Organic olive oil is always “extra virgin,” as set forth by the law. In Italy, with a total consumption of bottled olive oil of about 215,000 tons, 80% of the bottled olive oil consumption is extra virgin olive oil.
Extra virgin olive oil has many different tastes, according to the variety of olives used, the region of cultivation and the way the pressing has been done.

There is a whole “world of extra virgin olive oils” – similar to the extensive varieties in the wine category.

Growing Consumption

The consumption of extra virgin olive oil is constantly growing. The growth is due to a growing knowledge of the excellent variety of extra virgin olive oil and its regional and organoleptic differences. But certainly also to a growing knowledge of the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil.

Scientific researchers have confirmed what the older generations knew by oral tradition: extra virgin olive oil is healthy, easy to digest and good for the whole body.

For example, in a research carried out in 2005 by Gary Beauchamp & Paul Breslin of the Monell Chemical Senses Center of Philadelphia, it was discovered that extra virgin olive oil even naturally contains a substance called oleocanthal, with an ibuprofen-like effect, i.e. a non steroid substance for pain medication (NSAIDs), widely used in medicine and which long term use is said to have anti-cancer benefits.

Private label assortments of the major Italian retailing chains dedicate significant shelf space to (extra virgin) olive oils, as well as for other types of oils. Following a trend and responding to a growing knowledge about the “world of olive oil,” in the private label assortments of the major Italian retailing chains, there have been also inserted extensive ranges of regional DOP olive oils.

In the oil range, PAM offers the basic olive oil and extra virgin olive oil range, as well as a range of regional DOP Italian extra virgin olive oils, but no organic extra virgin olive oil.

The traditional extra virgin olive oil under the PAM brand is available in bottles of 500 ml at 2.79 euros and in bottles of 1000 ml at 4.50 ml. The higher quality extra virgin olive oils are “100% Italiano” and the range includes the classical blend at 5.50 euros / 1000 ml and the “fruttato,” which is a more intense blend at 6.90 euros / 1000 ml.

The regional DOP / IGP extra virgin olive oil range under the Tesori dell’Arca brand comes in a 750 ml bottle with a square bottom with a small folder attached, explaining the regional specifics of the product. This range includes varieties from the Garda Lake (a very high quality extra virgin olive oil, sold at 12.30 euros / 750 ml), from the Terre di Bari – Puglia (5.99 euros / 750 ml), from the Riviera of Liguria (10.49 euros / 750 ml) and an IGP extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany (9.49 euros / 750 ml).

Regarding the standard oils derived from seeds, there is a full range in one liter plastic bottles including sunflower oil, peanut oil, mixed seeds oil, soy bean oil, corn oil and the prices vary between 1.95 and 2.63 euros / liter.

Olive Oils Abound

Tuttifritti oil under the Conad label is meant specifically for deep frying.

Conad offers a huge assortment of private label oils, all positioned at eye-level of the consumer. The Conad private label extra virgin olive oil assortment alone – as seen in Conad / A.Leclerc Hypermarkets – covers more than 6 linear meters of shelf space.

In the basic olive oil assortment, Conad offers extra virgin olive oil “classic blend” in bottle of 500 ml at 2.99 euros and in bottle of 1000 ml at 4.69 euros.

There are more specialized blends such as a “delicate blend (at 4.60 euros / 1000 ml bottle) and an “intense blend,” an unfiltered blend of extra virgin olive oil, 100% Italian origin, in bottles of 1000 ml at 5.99 euros / bottle.

All the more special, Conad private label extra virgin olive oils are claimed to be “100% Italiano,” which means that both the olive groves and the production are located in Italy.

Conad is a cooperative retailing chain with about 2,826 stores in 3 countries and a turnover of about 9 billion euros and has developed three private label brands in the food area:

The basic label Conad, the organic label “Conad il Biologico” and “Sapori & Dintorni,” which is the range for typical Italian regional specialty food products. (“Sapori & Dintorni” means Tastes & Surroundings).

The package design of the basic and of the organic Conad private label brands is simple, friendly, modern and with clear product photos.

The Sapori & Dintorni design resembles gift packaging: it has very elegant dark blue labels with gold lettering, to outline the exclusive and regional ingredients and elements of the food specialties.

All the Conad private label products have shelf-talkers to attract the attention of the consumer.

While the organic Conad extra virgin olive oil includes just one item, with the claim 100% Italiano (5.89 euros / 750 ml), the Sapori & Dintorni extra virgin olive oil range offers a wide choice of DOP. For example: from Umbria – DOP Coli Martani (8.90 euros / 750 ml) and from Tuscany – IGP (9.25 euros / 750 ml), both in a sleek, slim bottle. From the Riviera Ligure (Liguria) comes the DOP Rivera dei Fiori in a bottle with a classic shape, which is wrapped in elegant gold metal foil (9.49 euros / 750 ml). From the Terre di Bari (Puglia) comes the Bitonto DOP presented in a square bottom bottle (8.90 euros / 75 ml).

Conad also carries a full assortment of basic oils under its private label such as corn oil, soy bean oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, all in 1 liter plastic bottles in a price range between 1.18 and 1.98 euros.
The mixed seed oil specifically for deep frying is called “TuttiFritti” (for all deep fried foods) and it is packed in a red plastic bottle with a yellow tap (1.55 euros / 1000 ml).

The Conad private label range also includes quite a wide selection of the most popular condiments and vinegar types.

Conad’s Condiments

The Conad private label condiment range offers staples like mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup, available in different weight units and packaging types (for example, the mayonnaise is available in a tube and in big and small glass jars).

There are also typical Italian specialties like Pesto Genovese made with fresh basil at 1.28 euros / jar 190g and Pesto Rosso, which is a red pesto made with grana cheese & basil at the same price. Conad also offers Olive Pâté under the Sapori & Dintorni brand at 2.25 euros / glass jar 180g.

The consumer looking for vinegar can find the two basics red wine vinegar and white wine vinegar, both available in two bottle sizes, i.e. 500 ml at 0.45 euros and 1000 ml at 0.64 euros.

The famous “Aceto Balsamico di Modena” is available under the brand Sapori & Dintorni, which means that it is a quality product, presented in a nice glass bottle with a wooden tap at 4.55 euros / 250 ml.
During visits to several stores, PLI did not find an Aceto Balsamico with the basic Conad private label.
Generally, the private label assortments of condiments reflect the Italian tradition of using a lot of extra virgin olive oil and a restricted range of condiments like balsamic vinegar, pesto and mayonnaise.

The Italian kitchen thrives from the harmonious combination of simple and high quality ingredients, mostly vegetables, cereals, cheeses, fish and a little meat. The condiments are used to outline the proper taste of the ingredients, adding their own “life” in the recipe.