Where can I sell apple vinegar?

Human beings have been producing and eating fruit vinegar for 7000 years, more than 3800 years earlier than grain vinegar. Grape vinegar was quite popular in France in the 10 century. /kloc-After the 7th century, European countries produced different kinds of fruit vinegar according to their own products and eating habits. Now various types of fruit vinegar products emerge one after another. The commercial development of fruit vinegar products began in the late 1980s. With the continuous excavation and discovery of the nutritional and health functions of fruit vinegar, consumers have gradually recognized and started to accept fruit vinegar products, and now there is a certain market. Apple vinegar has become an important member of the fruit vinegar family because of its rich raw materials, simple production technology, wide use and excellent efficacy, and its output and proportion are rising steadily.

I. Foreign market situation

In foreign countries, especially in Europe, America, Japan and other developed countries, there are many kinds of fruit vinegar condiments, fruit vinegar health products and other products with wide uses. People are used to using fruit vinegar as seasoning. Everyone can choose different types of special fruit vinegar according to their own tastes and food ingredients. For example, western pickles and western salads all use fruit vinegar. People have a deep understanding of the value and product development of fruit vinegar. In 1990s, the annual output of American vinegar was 560 million liters, including 430 million liters of distilled vinegar and 93 million liters of apple vinegar, accounting for 16.7% of the total vinegar output. Canada's annual output of vinegar is 65 million liters; Among them, apple vinegar is 0.9 billion liters, accounting for 13.6% of the total vinegar production. The annual output of British vinegar is 1 100 million liters, of which apple vinegar is about 0. 1 100 million liters, accounting for10% of the total vinegar output; At present, the annual output of apple vinegar in North America alone is 260 million liters. In developed industrial countries, each person consumes an average of 2 liters of vinegar per year (5% acetic acid content); In Japan, fruit vinegar was listed in the national standard in the late 1970s, and the production of fruit vinegar has reached a certain scale. In the 1980s, there was an upsurge of health vinegar. During the five years from 1982 to 1986, at least 62 brands of 39 kinds of new fruit vinegar were listed, and apple vinegar often made the "golden list" of hot food.

It can be seen that the apple vinegar market in developed countries in the world is mature, large-scale and developing rapidly. As a nutritious and healthy condiment, apple vinegar has been recognized and favored by consumers. At present, high-grade apple vinegar condiments, apple vinegar health products and other fruit vinegar products have a broad market in developed countries such as Europe, America and Japan.

Second, the domestic market situation

1. Apple vinegar beverage

As early as the early 1990s, there was an acetic acid beverage craze in China. Acetic acid beverage is considered as the "fourth generation" beverage after carbonated beverage, drinking water, fruit juice and tea beverage. Some manufacturers have developed high-grade grape vinegar drinks, but due to the high price, inaccurate market entry, insufficient publicity, people's consumption concept, living standards and other factors, the good times did not last long. ?

In recent years, there are more and more reports about apple vinegar. Up to 1998, there are 46 patents on fruit vinegar. By the first half of 2000, there were nearly 40 research reports and technical documents about fruit vinegar. Before that, there were almost no relevant reports. After ten years' technical reserve and market development, various manufacturers advance wave after wave and gradually introduce the market into the track. Now, as a functional beverage, apple vinegar has been gradually accepted by consumers, and China is facing the second commercial development opportunity of fruit vinegar beverage. Many manufacturers have begun to try to produce apple vinegar drinks and other fruit vinegar drinks. However, at present, most manufacturers with great market influence mainly prepare concentrated apple vinegar drinks, and there are few really fermented apple vinegar drinks, and the packaging cost of products is high, and the sales situation is mostly unsatisfactory. The main reason is that the market positioning is not accurate, the product promotion is not enough, and the product is not really introduced into the mass market. ?

At present, the general consumption market of healthy and cool apple vinegar beverage suitable for the current popular market and aimed at ordinary consumers with high taste and low price is basically blank and has great potential; There is also a big market for concentrated apple vinegar drinks aimed at specific people (such as middle-aged and elderly people and women) and specific places (restaurants and bars). This is because: first, from the absolute market space, first, the demand for beverages continues to grow. 1998, the per capita consumption of beverages in China reached 9.6kg, more than 30 times that in the early 1980s, with an average annual growth rate of over 10% and an absolute average annual growth rate of over 1 10,000 tons. However, compared with the international per capita consumption level of beverages, China's per capita consumption level is low at present. With the rapid growth of the national economy and the continuous improvement of urban and rural income levels and consumption power, the demand for beverages is in a period of sustained growth. Second, the increasing variety of beverage demand, the improvement of people's living standards and the resulting changes in consumption concepts have prompted the changing structure of beverage demand and the rapid development of new beverage varieties. Now carbonated drinks and bottled water are in the mature market, natural fruit juice, liquid milk and tea drinks are in the market growth period, while acetic acid drinks are just in the market introduction period. Secondly, from the perspective of relative market space, the diversity of consumer tastes and the diversity of use occasions make it impossible for different beverage categories to be absolutely replaced; For example, young and middle-aged people prefer high-grade, refreshing and convenient drinks, while middle-aged people pay more attention to the health and practicality of drinks; The market space is varied.

It can be seen that the domestic beverage market is huge, and acetic acid beverage has entered the market introduction period. At present, the market is basically blank and there is no monopoly on well-known brands. If we can pay attention to product differences and brand positioning in marketing operation, then apple vinegar beverage will definitely win the market.

2. Apple vinegar seasoning

At present, the products related to apple vinegar in the domestic market are mostly drinks, and there are few high-grade apple vinegar condiments, but it is not suitable for large-scale introduction of apple vinegar condiments. This is because: First of all, the cost of apple vinegar condiment is higher than other vinegar condiments, and the market price is 2-5 times higher than that of vinegar, so people's living standards and consumption concepts can't keep up for a while. For example, Italian vanilla vinegar produced by American fine food company has a retail price of 68.5 yuan/bottle (330ml), which is a world-famous fruit vinegar with special flavor. The production process is complicated and the cost is extremely high. Without brand support, it cannot be sold at all.

Followed by several well-known brands of rice vinegar (such as Shanxi Mature Vinegar, Zhenjiang Aromatic Vinegar, Zhejiang Rose Vinegar and Fujian Monascus Vinegar) and many local brands (such as Qingdao Lighthouse Rice Vinegar, Jinan Dexinzhai and Xuzhou Wantong). ) has occupied the entire county-level market. The rural market is mainly occupied by local small-scale manufacturers. For example, in Shandong Province, two-thirds of the vinegar market is in rural areas, and half of the rural market is occupied by local small enterprises. There are more than 40 small vinegar factories near Wangcun, Zibo, which have strong competitiveness in the rural market.

Finally, the sales volume of vinegar market is relatively stable. Since 1995, the domestic market has been stable at about 2 million tons, and the market incremental space is limited. Taking Shandong Province as an example, according to the statistics of the Provincial Bureau of Statistics, the total output of vinegar has been maintained at about120,000 tons, and about 60,000 tons are produced by many small manufacturers. The market consumption of flavored vinegar is relatively stable, which is similar to that in the US market. According to the statistics of Bell Information Center in new york, USA, the supermarket sales of various bottled vinegars in the United States gradually increased from 17 1 100 million dollars in 1993 to12 billion dollars in 1996, and then increased by 1.997 and1. Therefore, the absolute market incremental space of flavored vinegar is limited, and there will be no big breakthrough in the relative market space in recent years, and the competition in this industry will become more and more fierce.

3. Apple vinegar health care products

At present, some vinegar production enterprises have introduced special health vinegar, mainly aiming at the medical and health care function of vinegar. Its price is much higher than that of seasoning vinegar, and its profit margin is large. However, all manufacturers are very cautious. One of the main reasons is that there are many kinds of products in the health care products market, and the competition is fierce, and the quality of products varies widely. Second, at present, vinegar is only a traditional condiment in consumers' minds, and the change of living habits and concepts requires a lot of time and energy to guide and is risky. Therefore, there is no special apple vinegar health care product in China, but foreign countries have long developed health care products with apple vinegar as the main raw material, which are specially used for beauty, weight loss or medical treatment. For example, an American apple vinegar tablet for weight loss costs $6.69 per bottle, with 90 tablets per bottle, which is equivalent to 500 milligrams of acetic acid.

Third, the market channel analysis

Apple vinegar products have different main sales channels according to different varieties and positioning grades. Middle and high-grade apple vinegar drinks mainly enter hotels (accounting for 80% of the total sales) and nightclubs through regional distributors; Middle-and low-grade apple vinegar drinks mainly enter supermarkets (accounting for 80% of the total sales) and company welfare consumption through regional distributors, and then enter the above-mentioned terminal market through local wholesalers; In addition, manufacturers expand the market by directly setting up specialty stores; At present, apple vinegar drinks are mainly sold in the domestic market, and mainly concentrated in several hotels, and the sales in supermarkets are average. ?

Seasoning vinegar enters supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants and other terminal markets through most regional distributors, which is basically the same at home and abroad; However, as far as flavor fruit vinegar is concerned, foreign countries have entered the mass market just like grain flavor vinegar, and at present, large supermarkets and high-grade foreign-related hotels in developed areas are the domestic terminal markets.

In short, at present, the sales channels of products are mainly divided into three channels according to the differences between the three types of products. The channel and sales policy of apple vinegar beverage are very similar to those of fruit wine and liquor. Apple vinegar condiment mainly goes to high-end market in China, and ordinary condiment sales channels abroad; Apple vinegar health care products mainly enter the market together with seasoning vinegar sales channels in China, while foreign countries take the formal health care products market channels.

Four. Development Prospect and Analysis of Apple Vinegar Market

With the development of social economy, the improvement of people's material living standard, the change of consumption concept, the deepening of understanding of the function of apple vinegar and the adaptation of consumption taste, apple vinegar products will gradually be accepted by people. It can be said that the apple vinegar market in developed countries such as Europe, America and Japan will become more and more mature, and the domestic apple vinegar series products, especially the naturally fermented apple vinegar beverage market, are gestating and forming. ?

Especially the high-grade, low-cost and healthy apple vinegar beverage for ordinary consumers has great market potential and will be the key development direction of various manufacturers at present; High-grade apple vinegar condiments and health products aimed at high consumption level will also become a new consumption fashion. Foreign markets are mature, and it is impossible to form a large-scale market in China in the short term. At present, it is suitable for export-oriented development and small batch reserve production with specific places (such as hotels and restaurants) and high-consumption groups as the target consumers.