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ANKARA…
Rather than engaging in direct price competition with global giants to increase its share of the vast US market, the Turkish confectionery and patisserie sector is entering the fray with a strategy centred on ‘authentic flavours’ and ‘premium gifting’.
A ‘Market Entry Strategy Report’ has been drawn up as part of the ‘TURQUALITY Promotion Project for Confectionery and Patisserie Products for the US Market’ (Sweet Türkiye), which aims to bring Türkiye’s rich heritage of sweets and confectionery products to global markets.
According to a summary of the report by an Anatolian Agency (AA) correspondent, the aim is to position Turkish confectionery, chocolate and bakery products in the US market with a brand-focused and sustainable approach. The strategy document provides a critical roadmap for exporters.
The target is a 55 billion dollar market…
The US confectionery and bakery market is one of the world’s largest consumer markets, with annual sales exceeding 55 billion dollars.
Chocolate accounts for 28.4 billion dollars of the market, non-chocolate confectionery for 22.5 billion dollars and chewing gum and mint-flavoured products for 4.1 billion dollars. The fact that the US imports approximately 20 billion dollars’ worth of goods in these categories annually presents significant potential for international suppliers.
Türkiye ranks seventh globally in confectionery exports with a volume of approximately $923 million, whilst it features among the top 15 in chocolate products with 947 million dollars and in bakery products with a global export performance of 1.7 billion dollars.
The focus will be on ‘niche markets’…
It is assessed that competing directly at the mass-market level with domestic giant producers, who control approximately 67 per cent of the US market, will not be easy due to high marketing budgets and operational barriers. Accordingly, Turkish firms are advised to focus on niche areas such as ‘premium gifting’, ‘ethnic specialities’ and ‘authentic flavours’ – where local producers are relatively weak – rather than engaging in direct competition.
It is also suggested that Türkiye’s traditional delicacies based on lokum, helva, hazelnuts and pistachios offer a unique cultural differentiation advantage in the US market and that these products should be presented in modern packaging and innovative hybrid product formats (such as chocolate-coated lokum bars)…
