TWO years into ownership of Australia’s oldest sauce brand Rosella, executive chairman Dan Presser says the iconic label is on track to increase market share.
Having dropped to selling less than two per cent of the sauce market in Australia before Presser and his team signed contracts to buy the brand lock, stock and sauce bottle, they are now slowly turning the tide for Rosella to once again become a multi-million dollar business.
Moving into social media, promoting the product to new generations and endeavouring to use only locally grown produce is helping the soup and sauce label grain traction.
This year marks its 120th anniversary, and Presser is focussed on restoring the colourful native bird to the forefront of consumer’s purchasing minds.
“When the brand stopped being loved (by owners), it lost its way,” says Presse, of Rosella’s years in the wilderness with foreign ownership. “We have the vision to return it to leading brand. It will take time to restore it as the brand of choice with consumers, but first we have to educate consumers on its taste, quality, purity and provenance. Our vision spans a five, 10 and 15-year plan.”
The plan includes sourcing ingredients that are Australian grown. Importing is not an option when aiming to become Australia’s top-selling sauce brand with a $30 million turnover within the next two years.
It will take time to restore it as the brand of choice with consumers, but first we have to educate consumers on its taste, quality, purity and provenance.
- Rosella owner Dan Presser
“Some brands say it is too expensive to use Australian produce, we don't think so. We are supporting local farmers in regional areas in many states,” Presser says. “We want to support Australian grown and say we are Australian made. We have good suppliers, so we look after them and they will look after us. It is not that more expensive to use local ingredients than to import concentrate from overseas.”
Marketing widely to the post-Baby Boomer generation is also a priority. Presser says some of the challenges facing the brand’s resurgence was seeking good product placement on supermarket shelves. While a challenge, it is something to be expected given the brand’s previously poor performance. It is stocked by the major players IGA, Coles and Woolworths.
“I agree with the supermarkets, I would like better shelf placement, but it is up to us to market the brand. Once we put in the hard yards to reintroduce the brand to generations X and Y, we will then be given a better place. We cannot expect any other business to sell our products for us,” he says. “Supermarkets have been very supportive of us.”
Returning the brand to its founding mission of using quality local ingredients was one of the first commitments Presser followed through on when family owned company Sabrands purchased Rosella in 2013. Sabrands is no newcomer to marketing against bigger brands as it already produced Sunraysia and Devondale juice brands before its latest purchase. Rosella was founded in the late 1800s, with a mission to only use the best of ingredients. It’s about going back to basics, Presser says.
“All products are now manufactured in Australia. Rosella is now proudly Australian grown, made and owned. We are passionate about reintroducing it to people.”
Presser’s passion for the brand is infectious. He grew up with the sauce and soups and wanted to recapture the flavours in the original recipes. Part of this, he says, was sourcing supplies locally. For example, Rosella’s tomatoes are sourced from farms in Victoria, including Echuca, and processed at Silvan in the Dandenongs for the tomato sauce and soups. Chutneys, relishes and Rosella Aristocrat Cocktail Onions and Capers packed and bottled in South Australia.
“There is something about the freshness of the product when the tomatoes come from soil close by. Our suppliers are just as passionate as we are in wanting to restore the brand and get new generations eating the soups and sauces.”
Employment has expanded with up 70 new jobs created in the past three years. On purchase of Rosella, Sabrands also inherited the Tasmanian label Blue Banner, which processed pickled onions, also grown in the southern state.
“We are proud to say that we returned the manufacturing of the product to earlier standards,” Presser says. “We created a pop-up manufacturing site and then a new factory. We created jobs in that state and we are continuing to invest in other states, as well.”
There is something about the freshness of the product when the tomatoes come from soil close by.
- Rosella boss Dan Presser
Presser is proud of his brand, and wears a standard uniform of a Rosella-branded T-shirt for media and public appearances. “It’s just an iconic label - it is colourful and vibrant, so I want people to instantly recognise it. I decided to get the T-shirts done as I am proud to say it is an Australian-owned brand.”
Presser says returning to original recipes and using fresh ingredients will help secure market share. There are also flow-on effects for regional economies.
“Transport, manufacturing, packaging are all done in Australia. So there are benefits for other local businesses and employment.
“About 15 years ago it had 25 per cent market share, it dropped to single digits, or say, about 2 per cent,” he says. “Recipes had changed and it wasn't the same product people remembered. We are giving love back to the brand. It hadn’t had any for a long time, but it will take time. It took more than 20 years to kill it but we plan to be here for a long time and will see it come back as a leading soup and sauce brand.”
Reinvigorating the brand in its 120th year includes rolling out new labels and producing a guide to BBQ cooking - The People’s Guide to BBQ Cooking. Even Presser is keen to share his favourite recipe.
“Having a BBQ is such an iconic Australian thing to do, so we encourage others to gather around the BBQ and share their favourite recipe with friends. We can produce the best sauce but to keep it going we have to produce quality that people want to consume.”
Presser’s favourite recipe is for mushroom sauce: “From a sauces and ketchups recipe book from the UK titled Country House, Old English Recipes for Sauces & Ketchups.”
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp olive oil or butter
- 150g fresh button mushrooms, cut in half then sliced
- 150ml thickened cream
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
- 1 tsp ground sea salt
- 1⁄4 tsp of cayenne pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Instructions:
- Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and stir-fry until they are lightly browned, reduce heat to medium.
- Add cream, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally and watching that the cream doesn't over boil.
- Once the sauce has reduced by half, add crushed garlic and cayenne, and cook for another minute.
- Remove from heat and serve over your favourite steaks.
