06/30/2024 – 15:00
Pistachios are all the rage. New products featuring the flavor of this green nut appear practically every week on the menus of major brands and even artisanal confectioners. The phenomenon is already having an impact on import data.
According to the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC), 601,062 kilos of pistachios were imported in 2023. The value is almost double the average of the previous five years, of around 340,333 kilos per year.
+Do you want to maintain your weight and sleep better? Pistachio is a valuable ally
In 2024, the volume of pistachios consumed in Brazil could be even higher, as 398,375 kilos were imported up to July. “Imports are just a reflection of consumer behavior,” says Luciana Florência, professor of consumer behavior at ESPM and specialist in agribusiness.
On social media, videos proliferate with recipes for homemade pasta, made directly with pistachios.
In Brazil, pistachio production is almost zero, but it is possible to purchase it imported from different parts of the world. In 2024, the United States, Iran and Argentina exported the dried fruit to the country.
For the specialist, the phenomenon should grow and intensify further, with new launches and an increase in demand. “Importation is consolidated, the paths are now more defined, and people are searching.”
Big brands jump on the bandwagon
The success of pistachios in the country is associated with two phenomena: a series of launches by major brands and the spread of recipes with this flavor on social media.
Recent launches include Starbucks’ Pistachio drinks in January 2023, Bacio de Latte’s Pistachio Festival in August, and panettones from different brands last Christmas.
In 2024, Easter was taken over by pistachio flavors in both artisanal eggs and industrial chocolate shops. The Offner coffee shop, the Sodiê boleria and the Italian fast-food Ragazzo are other companies that added flavor to the menu.
More recently, Burger King launched a pistachio-flavored ice cream sauce, with a limited time planned for three months. But the results were so positive that the availability period may increase.
According to the chain’s marketing director, Mayra Dietzold, the product has led to a 35% increase in dessert sales. Ten units were expected to be sold per day in each store, but the average sold is 30 units/store/day.
Pistachio base paste, a new Nutella?
Most pistachio products sold use pistachio pastes in their production. An Italian manufacturer of one of these bases, Fabbri, saw sales of the product jump 200% in the first months of 2024 compared to 2023. Compared to 2022, the growth was more than 900%.
The company took advantage of the occasion and launched another 10 pistachio products on the Brazilian market in the last two years, all manufactured in Italy, with pistachios from various parts of the world. If the original versions were 100% pistachio and pistachio with chlorophyll dye, now there are compositions with different grain densities.
Will Brazil incorporate it like American lettuce?
Ulysses Reis, an MBA professor at FGV, says that consumer trends like pistachios tend to emerge randomly, experience a peak, and then disappear. But there are exceptions. “It may be that the habit is formed and people continue to consume them.”
Florência, from ESPM, believes that pistachios could be a craze that is here to stay. “We will end up incorporating them, like many things that are exogenous to our culture but have become common, such as iceberg lettuce.”
Regardless of the future of this trend, Florência emphasizes that the time for producers to get on board is now. “It’s an opportunity for entrepreneurs because these waves come, consolidate, and they can take advantage of them,” she adds.
#Pistachio #fever #boosts #imports #fruit #launches #major #brands