PLUS introduces organic apples from Bio Südtirol
"Of course there are also apples available closer to home, but the apples from South Tyrol have a distinctive taste because of the location where they are cultivated, on the border between the Mediterranean and Central European continental climate," says Martin. The Bio Südtirol apples are available at PLUS from October to late May and are Bioland-certified and 100% organic.
"We have launched this cooperation under the motto 'if you want it, it can be done’." We aim for long-term relationships with our growers and suppliers. Bio Südtirol is a member of the parent organization VOG-Terlan, and also like PLUS, has a cooperative structure. That is why this triangular partnership with our supplier Van der Lem and Bio Südtirol is working so well. It gives us control over the entire chain. In everything we do, continuity is the key. The consumer wants continuity in availability, quality and taste," affirms the category manager.
According to Bio Südtirol director, Werner Castiglioni, this entails no issues with product availability for Bio Südtirol. "Our 180 members have a total area of 600 hectares of organic apples, accounting for a volume of 25,000 tonnes of fruit. This is really family driven fruit farming. This is the reason that our growers know what is going on in the orchard, and what they have to do to make sure that apples will be of the best possible quality."
That organic apples entail an additional cost is unavoidable, according to Werner. "The yield per hectare is 25% lower than in integrated fruit farming, and since we believe that the quality and appearance must not be inferior to those of conventional apples, another 20-25% of the volume goes to the processing industry. This results in the best organic apples you can find." That is something that Martin Pietersma can confirm: "Our customers ask for them in the stores!"