The Italian soft fruit production is available between April and late December - foreign produce is available during winter months.
In particular, Italian raspberries are harvested between mid/late April until December, blackberries between May and late September/early October and blueberries between late May/early June and mid/late September. Currants are harvested between May and August and are then stored and distributed until December.
"Garden Frutta sells soft fruit from all over the world throughout the year. Imports cover 7 months a year as domestic production does not satisfy demand. We import raspberries from Spain and Mexico, blackberries from Mexico, Uruguay and Guatemala and blueberries from Argentina and Uruguay in September/October and Chile and Spain in winter," explains Matteo Mosca.
The company sells its produce mainly under the Garden Frutta and Amor brands. Last year, it sold around 1,200 tons of raspberries, 1,000 tons of blueberries, 700 tons of blackberries and 150 tons of currents.
The main destination is the domestic market - retailers (60%) and traditional markets (30%) in particular. Produce is also exported to Austria, Germany and France followed by Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia.
"Italian retailers do not consider berries as a category because they haven't understood their potential yet. They are not niche products but great results can be achieved."
1 kg mixed fruit crate with 8 125 gram trays.
"Demand is increasing. They are particular fruits because they need a lot of attention and therefore clients rely on specialists - those who work well achieve good results. Prices are stable, maybe a little lower than they usual because of the increase in volume and drop in production costs."
"So far, we haven't really been affected by competition from abroad but in the future Spain could become a competitor, just like Holland. We must organise so as to keep competition at bay."
Following the hepatitis A scandal surrounding some frozen products there was a drop in sales on the fresh market for a week or so, but luckily everything went back to normal after that. "We explained to customers that the industry is a totally different channel than the fresh market, which undergoes strict checks and is therefore safe."
In Italy, berries are cultivated in Trentino during summer, whereas Verona can extend the calendar from April/May to September/October. Piedmont is also increasing its production.
Fruit is cultivated under polytunnels and harvested by hand. The produce is placed directly in trays, which are then weighed and labelled in the warehouse."
"Research is active for these types of fruit and, in the last few years, there has been a continuous varietal innovation. The new varieties are better in terms of taste, size and shelf-life."
Berry trio.
At the moment, the most cultivated raspberry variety is Tulameen, followed by Kwanza, Sugana and Amira. Among blackberries, Lochness and Tupy are the most popular. There is a great choice of blueberries and the most common currant cultivars are Rovada and Junifer.
Garden Frutta packages its berries in standard 8 125 gram trays for 1 kg crates or 12 125 gram trays for 1.5 kg crates. Among the most recent introduction there are the raspberry and blueberry "combo" and the raspberry, blueberry and blackberry trio. There is also the Tris Delizia, with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.
Tris Delizia.
Currently, the company is building a new 5,000 sq m structure which will be in operattion as of 2015.
Contacts
Garden Frutta srl
Centro Agroalimentare - Stand 36
Via Sommacampagna, 63 D/E
37137 Verona
Tel.: (+39) 045 8601208
Fax: (+39) 045 8618548
Email: matteo@gardenfrutta.it
Web: www.gardenfrutta.it