Almost all big shops have introduced some Polish Products in recent years, trying to attract an over-a-million-strong community of new immigrants from Poland. Regardless of whether that was a successful commercial strategy or just a kind gesture, it naturally opened the opportunity for other Britons to see it and try it.
Polish products lacking much marketing
I must say though that Polish suppliers made a “diddly squat” effort, at least initially, to put up the fight over a new 60-million-customer market. For most of the first years, they couldn’t be bothered with supplying proper product labels in English, not to mention re-branding some products in order to attract more English-speaking buyers. It has changed a little bit since, but still poses a problem. Some big brands provide now bilingual labels and a few decided to provide a special, English version of a product. But even with the latter, the quality of its marketing can be sort of questionable.
What secret magic is hidden on Tesco Polish shelves?
For example, if you see a carton of juice containing “chokeberry” (aronia) and that name is highlighted without any further explanation, I know that someone there in my old country just used Google Translate. Most Britons don’t have a clue what a “chokeberry” is and the name simply scares them off rather than attracting them. This actually is a shame because aronia (chokeberry) is really some sort of superfood and should deserve popularization here.
Polish food needs more introduction
Anyway, in this blog I can be of service to you, reviewing some of the products from the “Tesco Polish shelves” online offer. Important I am not promoting that shop and unless it is stated clearly I won’t be doing any advertising here. Some of the products deserve more attention (in my humble opinion) so I praise them because I personally consider them as a good choice. In other cases, I will just give you some background information about what you can expect from the label.