There is a growing recognition that branding is a viable avenue for future financial growth and prosperity for agricultural companies and for agribusiness in general. However, little empirical work has been conducted to identify the key success factors in fresh food branding. Also insight into the financial performance of fresh food brands is limited. Based on research among purchase managers in the Netherlands, this article identifies the variables that influence the level of consumer

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... of fresh food brands. The empirical research focused on three product categories: meat/poultry, cheese, and vegetablesljruit. The results show that both traditional success factors for building strong brands (i.e. order of market entry and level of promotional expenditure) and characteristics closely linked to the nature of fresh food products (i.e. "vulnerability" of the product and shelf-life) are important. Furthermore, brands with a higher consumer franchise are found to have a higher financial pay-off for both the supplier and the retailer than brands with a lower consumer franchise. Strong brands also generate more sales at the retail level.