In the landscape of 26.1 million Italian families, strawberries confirm themselves as a much-loved fruit, with a penetration of 69.4%, meaning almost 7 out of 10 families buy strawberries at least once a year. This data is even slightly increasing compared to the previous period, with an increase of 1.4 percentage points, and translates into a total of 18.1 million purchasing families, with a growth of 4.2 percentage points.
The weight of strawberries in the berry category
In the berries category, strawberries represent 62.6% of the expenditure of Italian families. While the category as a whole is growing, the weight of strawberries is rapidly decreasing: just a year ago (2023) strawberries accounted for 65.8% of the expenditure, with a decrease of 3.2 percentage points. This shift in consumer preferences has mainly benefited blueberries, which have seen their weight in the berries category increase.
Also in terms of volume, strawberries are decreasing their weight in the berries purchases of Italian families. In fact, in 2024 strawberries represent 82% of the volumes, down from the previous year when the weight on the berries category was equal to 85%.
But what happens in detail?
Italian families who buy strawberries do so on average 6.52 times a year, a slightly lower figure than in the past, with a decrease of 0.1. The quantity purchased on average per time has also decreased, falling to 0.64 kg, with a reduction of 5.7%.
However, the high number of purchasing families, as many as 18.11 million, means that the total volume of strawberries purchased in Italy in the last twelve months is still respectable, equal to 75,017 tons.
In 2024, strawberries saw an 8% decrease in volumes purchased by families, which corresponded to a substantial stability in the overall value of the market, which stands at around 389 million.
An interesting aspect is the increase in the average price of strawberries, which has reached 5.19 Eur/kg, with an increase of 8.3% compared to the previous period. This, combined with the volume of purchases, leads to compensate for the decrease in volumes and to determine an overall stable value.
How do Italians buy strawberries?
The majority of Italian families who buy strawberries, 80.6%, do so repeatedly, meaning more than once a year. The average expenditure for strawberries of a purchasing family is 21.48 Eur, down 4.4% compared to the previous period, and corresponds to 4.14 kg of strawberries, with a decrease of 11.7%.
Finally, the average expenditure for strawberries per single purchase occasion is 3.30 Eur, slightly up (+2.2%) compared to the previous period.
In summary, despite a slight decrease in the quantity purchased per time and an increase in prices, strawberries remain a very popular fruit among Italians, with an overall market of almost 400 million euros.
