Dry Bean Value Proposition Study results – Will Inform Future Global Strategies

October 23, 2020
Posted in: News
In March of 2020 USDBC commissioned a research project designed to identify the value proposition of U.S. dry beans. This is a critical part of our global marketing strategy to help define and tell the story of what makes U.S. origin dry beans stand out. This information will be incorporated into our future marketing plans. We have recently received the topline messages from our research in the EU only and wanted to share some of the analysis:
Consumers in Spain tend to display the strongest recognition scores of the various types of beans.
Overall, beans are perceived to be versatile, as they are used for many different occasions in each of the EU countries. In Spain and France, they are used “as an entrée/in the center of the plate. The UK scores highest “as an ingredient to use in everyday home-cooked meals”, as well as “a healthy addition to their diet/meals”.
Dry beans are frequently purchased across the EU countries, with nearly half of the shoppers buying them “once a month or more often” – highest (by far) in Spain (79%). The primary reason for not buying dry beans more often is due to “inconvenience/takes a long time to prepare” – especially among those in Spain and Italy.
When asked to single out their top three favorite statements (in terms of motivation to buy dry beans), consumers in each market rated – “dry beans are more natural and provide more health benefits than canned beans”, followed closely by “value”, “yield”, “shelf stability” and “superior taste”.
While lower among those in the UK, the vast majority of the consumers in the EU rate the country of importance when buying dried beans as being at least “somewhat important”. Furthermore, most consumers either don’t know where the dry beans they buy come from or have no preference.
These are only a few of the many observations, full report available upon request. Data from other regions of the world will be coming in separately over the remainder of 2020.