The artichoke season is about to end. "There are around twenty days to go. We mainly process artichokes in trays. This packaging, which includes 4 stem-less heads, has become very popular over the past few years. The damage caused by the bad weather at the start of the year meant fewer volumes were available and the market did not fail to notice it. Artichokes, for example, were smaller than last year."
Production increased in March, leading to a decrease in prices despite the livelier demand. Artichoke harvesting at Agro Mediterranea Group started during the first week of October.
"As regards tomatoes, the current market is satisfactory due to the lack of produce all over the peninsula. We mainly work with Camone tomatoes, also known as Moro Sardo, which have a round, regular shape, small grades and a colour that goes from deep red to deep green near the stalk. Good texture and crunchiness with a well-balanced flavour. These tomatoes are available in a variety of branded 250-500 gram packets or loose in crates."
Artichokes come mainly from the Villasor, Decimoputzu, Serramanna, Samassi, Cabras, Sulcis and Valledoria municipalities while tomatoes come mainly from Capoterra, S.Margherita, Pula, Sulcis and Assemini.
Artichokes come mainly from the Villasor, Decimoputzu, Serramanna, Samassi, Cabras, Sulcis and Valledoria municipalities while tomatoes come mainly from Capoterra, S.Margherita, Pula, Sulcis and Assemini.
"We export our main products to Switzerland, Austria, England, Croatia and Cyprus. Switzerland doesn't require large quantities, but they are regular."
Innovation is the keyword both in Italy and abroad. "As we mostly work with retailers and due to the fact that production is not as seasonal as it used to be, we realised people are looking from something different: new packaging, new types of products, new flavours."
Innovation is the keyword both in Italy and abroad. "As we mostly work with retailers and due to the fact that production is not as seasonal as it used to be, we realised people are looking from something different: new packaging, new types of products, new flavours."
"This is what we are doing with asparagus for next year: we are developing new packaging, which will probably be a tray. We want to supply produce that lasts longer on supermarket shelves."
Cauliflower
Cauliflowers are available between late September and early April and represent 10% of the turnover. "The campaign has definitely been more positive than last year. The cold temperatures in January led to drops in production, so prices exceeded €2/kg . The warmer temperatures led to overlapping productions, however, so prices decreased."
During the past season, the company handled 10,000 tons of produce on average sold exclusively to Sardinian retailers. The average price was €1.10. "It doesn't make sense to ship our cauliflowers outside of Sardinia even though quality is just as good as the produce elsewhere. It's a choice we made due to transport costs - we are talking about at least €0.20 more than regions such as Campania."
Agro Mediterranea Group
The Group is made up of Agro Mediterranea Distribuzione srl, specialising in production and the distribution of products to retailers; Agro Mediterranea srl, specialising in production planning and normal trade commercialisation, and Soc. Agricola Sapore Sardo, specialising in production.
All companies part of Agro Mediterranea Group comply with what is established in the specification and with client supply specifications. The Group implements innovative production technologies combined with local traditions.
It operates mainly in 4 areas: productive infrastructure and coordination of producer companies; varietal choice through certified nurseries; distribution and commercial strategy and policy; marketing and logistics support. The mission is to meet client and final customer expectations.
Contacts:
Andrea Manca
Agro Mediterranea Group
Tel.: +39 342 3390390
Email: andrea.manca@agromed.itWeb: www.agromed.it