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Analysis and Studies - Products analysis

Jams: import and export

By SkyMinder Sales Enablement Team July 4th 2024

Jams date back to Ancient Greece and Rome times, where fruits were boiled with honey to preserve them or immersed in a mixture of raisin wine, cooked wine, must, or honey. Sugar began to be used during the Middle Ages and eventually became the only sweetening ingredient in these preparations, gradually replacing both honey and must.

Even though we know that history of jam is older, there are two legends about the invention of orange marmalade that are particularly popular. One story involves Catherine of Aragon, who is said to have overcome her nostalgia for Spanish fruit after marrying the King of England by consuming this sweet preserve. Whereas the other one concerns Queen Maria de Medici, who, after moving to France and being diagnosed with important vitamin deficiency, especially the type C, had citrus fruits brought from Sicily: due to the long journey, special boxes of jam were prepared with the label "per Maria Ammalata" (for sick Maria), which was misread and became "marmalade."

In 2022, jams were the world's 604th most traded product, with a total trade of $4.04B.

In 2022 the country which exported jams the most was France with a trade of $529M, ahead of Italy ($307M), Spain ($256M), Germany ($225M), and Turkey ($222M). Whereas the most significant importer was the United States with a trade of $566M, followed by Germany ($371M), France ($263M), Netherlands ($235M), and Canada ($184M).

 This graphic shows a balanced portfolio for each country: none of them rely on a single market, reducing the risk of being vulnerable to market disruptions. There’s a significant regional concentration, particularly within Europe, with some countries also exporting outside the continent (notably to North America).

While Turkey's strategic position at the intersection of Europe and Asia enables it to access both regions. These trade patterns highlight the key role of geographic proximity and historical relations (such as Spain’s exports to Latin American countries).

  1. France (13.1%):20.9% United States, 11% Belgium, 9.29% United Kingdom, 8.51% Germany, 4.46% Japan, 4.19% Canada, 3.85% Netherlands, 3.19% Italy
  2. Italy (7.59%): 23.2% Germany, 20.7% France, 5.59% United States, 5.58% Belgium, 5.49% United Kingdom, 5.39% Netherlands, 4.65% Austria, 2.61% Canada
  3. Spain (6.33%): 12% Germany, 11.3% France, 8.95% Portugal, 8.91% Mexico, 8.87% Netherlands, 8.62% Sweden, 7.06% Italy, 3.88% United Kingdom, 3.68% China, 1.94% United States, 0.55% Canada
  4. Germany (5.57%): 17% Italy, 15% France, 10.1% Netherlands, 7.39% Austria, 7.27% United Kingdom, 5.21% Switzerland, 3.39% Belgium, 3.38% United States, 0.33% Canada
  5. Turkey (5.48%): 12.1% Germany, 8.73% Austria, 7.16% Italy, 6.76% United States, 6.41% Netherlands, 2.35% Egypt, 2.24% Canada, 5.9% Belgium, 5.63% Spain

 We can see Europe and North America having a pivotal role in shaping import activities. Similar to exports, also for imports there’s a regional focus, with European countries preferring intra-continental trade: however, there’s a more varied pattern, with imports coming from Asia and Latin America as well.

The United States has a highly diversified portfolio which shows its broad global connections; Canada shares this characteristic but in small numbers.

  1. United States (14%): 19.5% France, 14.9% Chile, 11.5% Canada, 3.93% Belgium, 3.7% Mexico, 3.34% Egypt, 3.19% India, 3.03% Italy, 2.95% Ecuador, 2.64% Turkey, 1.53% Brazil, 1.34% Germany, 0.88% Spain
  2. Germany (9.19%): 19.1% Italy, 13.2% Austria, 12.1% France, 8.82% Netherlands, 8.72% Belgium, 8.27% Spain, 7.22% Turkey, 6.71% Poland
  3. France (6.52%): 24.1% Italy, 18.1% Netherlands, 14.9% Belgium, 12.8% Germany, 10.9% Spain, 4.74% Turkey, 4.67% India
  4. Netherlands (5.82%): 15.3% India, 9.71% Germany, 9.65% Spain, 8.66% France, 8.58% Belgium, 7.03% Italy, 6.04% Turkey, 5.37% Ecuador, 3.62% South Africa, 2.39% Guatemala
  5. Canada (4.56%): 64.1% United States, 12% France, 4.34% Italy, 2.69% Turkey, 2.04% Chile 0.77% Spain, 0.4% Germany

Between 2021 and 2022, the country which saw the fastest growth in exports was Chile with an increase of $77.1M, ahead of Greece ($41.4M), France ($35.9M), India ($22.7M), and Egypt ($18.9M).

 

  1. Chile: from $130M to $208M
  2. Greece: from $72.4M to $114M
  3. France: from $493M to $529M
  4. India: from $181M to $203M
  5. Egypt: from $35.9M to $54.8M

Whereas the imports grew the fastest in the United States with an increase of $123M, followed by Mexico ($55.4M), Netherlands ($25.3M), Canada ($19.5M), and Saudi Arabia ($15.2M).

 

 

  1. United States: from $443M to $566M
  2. Mexico: from $42.3M to $97.7M
  3. Netherlands: from $210M to $235M
  4. Canada: from $165M to $184M
  5. Saudi Arabia: from $55.6M to $70.7M

Sources:

https://oec.world/en