"75% of our production is made up of Golden apples, so we are lucky the Spaniards appreciate this variety. In addition, Spain is one of the few European countries where Renettas can be exported."
"The retail system is similar to the Italian one and the Mercati Generali are quite important there too. Customers appreciate big grades and yellow fruit with a red blush. Demand for the Fuji variety is also on the rise."
Melinda took part in this year's edition of Fruit Attraction with the objective of meeting with its clients and finding new ones. "We want to increase our sales in Spain, especially on the Madrid and southern markets. Giovanna Turrini is our sales manager for Spain and Portugal."
The Portuguese market represents another opportunity for Melinda. "We do not expect that they will absorb huge quantities, but it is worth a try."
Left to right: Federico Barbi (export manager for the Iberian area and sales director for the Consortium), Giovanna Turrini (export manager for Spain and Portugal) and Andrea Fedrizzi (marketing specialist).
Sales in Italy are good, just like last year. The only difference being the prices, as they were quite low during the 2014/15 season due to the volumes available but have gone back to average. "Last year, we had to manage a record production - 33% more than the previous year. This year, volumes are expected to be lower. We are not saying it will be easy, but it will be better than last year."
As regards the situation in Poland and the productive drop due to the drought, Barbi explained that "data is not available yet but it seems that there will be less produce, 10-20% less than expected with quality and grade problems."
For further information:
Consorzio Melinda Sca
Tel.: (+39) 0463 671111
Email: melinda@melinda.it
Web: www.melinda.it