FRESH-CUT CACTUS PEAR MARKET IN ITALY: CURRENT SCENARIO AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

The Italian market of cactus pears has recently undergone deep product innovations, and changes in the production processes and organizational structures. The fresh-cut category of cactus pears seems to bring out the unique characteristics of these fruits, as shown by the continuous growth margins of related market. In this context, we performed an analysis of this business sector to broaden the existing knowledge on its marketing system, and a study survey to better investigate consumer satisfaction with the product, with the final goal of foreseeing possible future scenarios to guide operators in the sector. In particular, the recognition of existing fresh-cut production companies allowed us to analyse the degree of technology spread, the bargaining power of the same, the services and range of products offered, the organizational models and the growth potential of different market channels, in order to assess the possibilities for market penetration of new businesses.