Increase in production
Violéta originates from France. "It's an apple that's solely grown in Northern French Champagne-Ardenne. The white soil, rich in lime, characteristic for the Champagne region, contribute to the crunchy texture and the perfect combination of sweet and sour in this apple. This region's climate, with its slightly colder winters and somewhat warmer summers, sees that Violéta grows to be an intensely red-coloured apple. The grower had initially planted only about four hectares, and first wanted to see if this apple would be popular in the French and Belgian market. Now, 15 ha have been planted, of which the last 5 hectares in 2013. From these trees, the first apples will be picked this year."
Many advantages
Wim says it is a difficult year for the apple. "This is mainly because of the large supply of apples on our European market. Fortunately, Violéta is popular with our customers. It's an apple with a lot of advantages. It's got a beautiful colour, it's very crunchy and has a delicious aroma and a long shelf life. In addition, it's an apple with a fun name, which looks good to boot. Violéta is also an apple that's not in the upper price segment, like Pink Lady or Kanzi, so for apple fans it's an affordable, tasty apple." Violéta is named for its unique, purple-red colour.
Stable price
He notes that they're trying to keep the price more or less stable. "This is because we want to be sure that this is the best way to keep sales stable. If the apple's market prices go down too quickly, of course we have to adjust the prices, in consultation with the grower."
Fruit Vandepoel expects to offer Violéta this season until August. "The general prospects for the apple market aren't too good for the remainder of the sales season, seeing how there are still a great many apples in stock. In any case, as Belgium's only Violéta seller, we still hope to continue selling a lot of these apples."
For more information:
Wim Vandepoel
Bvba Fruit Vandepoel
Molenbergstraat 11
3470 Kortenaken - Belgium
Tel.: +32 (0) 11 58 71 47
Fax: +32 (0) 11 58 17 46
Sales Mabru
Werkhuizenkaai 22/23 - Hall D
1000 Brussel - Belgium
Tel.: +32 (0) 2 241 17 20
Fax: +32 (0) 2 216 83 71
info@fruitvandepoel.be
www.fruitvandepoel.be