Assignment
Background
Amid the steady increase of fresh mandarin (tangerine) consumption (from 1.39 pounds per capita in 1991 to 4.17 pounds in 2012) (USDA/ERS 2013), Florida's share in mandarin production has decreased. California has overtaken Florida to become the major US domestic mandarin producer (USDA/NASS 2013). The major differences between mandarin production in California and Florida are the varieties grown and their fruit characteristics. 'Clementine' mandarins, which are widely grown in California, are juicy, sweet, generally seedless (the number of seed per fruit is less than six), and easy to peel (University of California-Riverside 2004). Two popular brands of California mandarins are Cuties® and Halos®, which are fruits from 'Clementine', 'W. Murcott' (also known as 'Nadorcott' or 'Afourer'), or 'Tango' mandarins. The Florida mandarin cultivar 'Murcott' (which is distinctly different from 'W. Murcott') often is referred to as Honey Tangerine. 'Murcott' fruit are juicy and flavorful but are more seedy (contain up to 24 seeds per fruit), and difficult to peel than are the 'Clementine' or 'W. Murcott' madarins (Futch and Jackson 2003). Despite a shift in consumer preferences toward the 'Clementine' mandarin, Florida growers do not produce 'Clementine' because this cultivar is not well adapted to the subtropical climate of Florida (Dou and Gmitter 2007).
In response to the increasing market share of 'Clementine' (Norberg 2007), the Florida fresh citrus industry began researching new cultivars that are well-adapted to the Florida environment to compete against the California 'Clementine' in the consumer market. In 2009, the University of Florida introduced a new mandarin hybrid cultivar called 'Sugar Belle' (LB8-9), which is a cross between the 'Clementine' mandarin and the 'Minneola' tangelo (Gmitter et al. 2010). The 'Sugar Belle' is sweet, juicy, and fairly easy to peel. While the fruit is quite high in sugar, it has substantial acidity to balance the high sugar content (Dou and Gmitter 2007). Citrus producers have reduced the number of seeds or even eliminated seeds entirely in 'Sugar Belle' fruit by applying plant growth regulators and by growing the trees in solid blocks with minimum cross-pollination (Gmitter et al. 2010).
To determine the market potential of the new cultivar, we conducted focus group discussions with experimental auctions with consumers. The auction took place in Atlanta, Georgia. Twenty-eight (28) participants were randomly selected through a marketing research firm. Two sessions of auctions were conducted with 15 participants in the first and 13 of them in the second. Each session lasted for 1.5 hours. The first session consists of consumers that consume citrus fruits at a regular basis, and the second session consists of consumers that do not consume citrus fruits regularly.
You need to submit a written report that should include your analysis on the following components:
1) The current situation for fresh citrus products in Florida and the fresh citrus industry in the U.S. (1 points)
• Per capita fresh citrus fruits consumption using updated statistics, and its change over time
• Market share of Florida's mandarins, and its change over time
• Competitors and threats to Florida's citrus industry
Note: Some of the references have been updated by USDA, you should use the latest statistics you can find.
2) Summarize the key attributes of the new citrus variety using secondary source of information (see references below, 1 point)
3) Summarize respondents' responses (see data in the attached excel file) (5 points)
• Average purchase frequency of fresh citrus products (columns R-T in excel)
• Average perceived importance of product characteristics (columns AH-AU in excel)
• Average sensory rating of the all products evaluated and by light and regular consumers, and average intent to purchase by products and by light and regular consumers (columns AV-DO in excel)
o Note please check the fruit numbers. Following each fruit number, there are ratings for appearance, aroma, likelihood to purchase etc.
o Sensory evaluations and intent to purchase were done in three stages: viewing, peeling, and tasting.
4) Based on these responses,
1. Sugar belles were cultivated in two different regions in Florida. As a result, they have different characteristics. Which one would you recommend to release to the market?
2. What type of consumers would be the targeted segment for this new Sugar Belle?
3. Develop a positioning map with respect to the main competitions and recommend an effective marketing communication message to advertise the new citrus variety to the target segment.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also Include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.