Thanks to the partnership with French company Sofruileg (owner of the Nergi® brand), the product is promoted at a Community level by "Club Nerfi®", of which Ortofruit Italia PO and Primland and FruitWorld are members.
"The name Nergi, which identifies kiwiberries or 'baby-kiwis' (Actinidia arguta), derives from the word energy and was chosen to emphasize the excellent nutritional profile of the fruit, which is rich in vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. That is why it will be displayed near raspberries, blueberries and currants."
It is the perfect symbol of the change in fruit cultivation - from a product that needs to be peeled to one that can be eaten whole.
FreshPlaza interviewed Ortofruit Italia president Domenico Paschetta as regards its membership to the Nergi club.
"We were impressed by the incredible performance of this berry. The French counterpart needed to launch the product on the Italian market because they were aiming at distributing the product all over Europe. The next step was testing the fruit in the Cuneo area to monitor its development and results were good".
Ortofruit Italia president Domenico Paschetta with some managrs and partners of the PO.
"Many of our associates were interested in diversifying their production, especially because of the PSA problem and crisises with other crops that were no longer profitable. The potential of this product impressed them immediately and, although it is quite a hefty investment (double that for Hayward kiwis), we should reach 100 hectares by 2020".
One of the advantages is that Actinidia arguta is resistant to kiwi bacteriosis.
Nergi® kiwis will be available on the market starting from August 25th and will be distributed predominantly to supermarkets and hypermarkets in the North-West of the country.
"Because it is a new product, we planned an ambitious campaign (coordinated at a European level by Sofruileg) with animations and in-store activities."
Prices of 125 gram punnets should hover between €2.30-2.70.
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Some figures:
- 300 thousand punnets are expected to be sold in Italy in 2015 (3 million at an international level);
- 40 hectares in Italy and 150 in Europe.
The main characteristics:
- it is a healthy snack at just 52 Kcal per 100 grams;
- it is rich in vitamins, nutrients (potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous) and fibre;
- it is a 'superfuit' thanks to its high vitamin-C content.
Author: Rossella Gigli
Copyright: www.freshplaza.it