Cristiana Furiani, owner of Geofur, at Fruit Attraction.
"The summer season was very difficult especially during the transplanting stage. We irrigated during the night as well as during the day and invested a lot In it," explains Cristiana Furiani, owner of Geofur, a company specialising in red chicory which last year had a turnover of almost €15 million.
Geofur chicory crate
"The current season started very well - quality is excellent, even beyond expectations, whereas volumes are average."
Processing operations at Geofur (Archive photo).
"The campaign should be satisfactory. Consumption is the only thing we are not sure about, but we are quite optimistic at the moment."
Red chicory processing at Geofur (Archive photo).
"We are doing well on a domestic level, especially in supermarkets, which now seem to pay more attention to quality. Retailers are increasingly interested in Pgi Verona red chicory, though it should be promoted a little bit more."
A packet of Pgi Verona red chicory
"We start exporting produce in November, though demand is quite slow at the moment. Usually Northern Europe stops producing with the first freezes, but the weather is milder and there is still local produce available."
Red chicory processing (Archive photo).
As regards prices, after the peaks reached during the summer caused by the heatwave, "they are not fair, though there are great volumes available and foreign demand is slow. If consumption is like last year, though, it shouldn't be a problem."
Contacts:
OP Geofur
Via Gallese, 17
37045 Legnago (VR)
Tel.: (+39) 0442 641344
Fax: (+39) 0442 641426
Email: info@geofur.it
Web: www.geofur.it
Author: Andrea Minghelli
Copyright: www.freshplaza.it