Ortofruit Italia aims at producing 3,000 tons of soft fruit by 2020

"Ortofruit Italia is trying to develop the soft fruit campaign that will start in early June from both a productive and a commercial point of view by implementing its mark and meeting consumers' demands and expectations," explains president Domenico Paschetta.

Blueberry blossoming is going well and that of raspberries and blackberries is just starting. Blossoming is good in general and the campaign is also looking good - ripening will start in 40 days.

Nergi baby kiwis will start blossoming soon and production is expected to be good as there were no weather problems and the March snow did not affect the plants. Additional trees were planted last month and, as established last year with the French, the cultivated area should reach 70-80 hectares between 2016 and 2017 and enter full production in 2020.

"Nergi is proving to be quite resistant to Psa and trees show no anomalies. Therefore, the choice of replacing kiwi trees with small fruit is turning out to be a good strategy."

Ortofruit Italia's soft fruit campaign will start in June with blueberries, followed by raspberries and blackberries and will then reach early September with Nergi, which will be available until mid-November.

The Nergi sales programme is developed together with other European partners, who are currently discussing the next campaign. Ortofruit Italia will be available both on the Italian market - where it holds exclusive rights - and on the European one. 2015 was a test year for Nergi, which was sold by all Italian distribution chains and by some German chains.

Nergi proved to be quite popular after some initial scepticism. It is particularly appreciated by the elderly and the kids as it tastes good and is easy to eat. The new promotional campaign will be directed at mothers. Although it is quite a niche market, the objective is to produce 1500 tons of produce."

"One of its limits is definitely the fact that it is only available for a short time although, like all tasty products, it manages to generate anticipation. It is a very interesting product that helps deal with the bacteriosis problem. We are trying to extend the availability up to Christmas."

"Our soft fruit range, which is identified by the 'Delizie di bosco del Piemonte' brand, will officially include our new entries (i.e. Nergi and cherries, see photo)."

The soft fruit segment is very interesting and keeps evolving, that is why Ortofruit is cooperating with Disafa to select new varieties and improve shelf-life. Varietal research aims at improving quality and ripening so as to supply fresh product throughout the whole summer. New blueberry and raspberry varieties are being tested to provide more choice to consumers and improve the shelf-life as well as logistics and distribution.

In addition to varietal research and storing techniques, Ortofruit Italia is also developing a new packaging line.

In 2015, Ortofruit Italia sold 300 tons of blueberries and 150 tons of raspberries, but the objective is to reach a production of 3,000 tons of produce in 3-4 years.

For further information:
Ortofruit Italia
Tel.: (+39) 0175 240305
Fax: (+39) 0175 475821
Web: www.ortofruititalia.it