Although the grapes available at this time are the earliest, "as the days go by, they become sweeter and their colour changes to yellow," states Paolo Ficili, head of the company Azienda Donnalucata. At the beginning of the season, about two weeks ago, prices reached 4.50 Euro per kilo, but it has now fallen to 3 Euro, as there is more production on the market. "We are in a very similar situation to last year's, so we estimate that prices will fall to 1.40 Euro," affirms Ficili.
This company has a production of 225 tonnes a year, which is shipped entirely to France and the UK. "Victoria grapes are the first and, for a few weeks, they face no competition in the market," explains Ficili. Given the climate of southern Italy, they are able to harvest the grapes slightly earlier than the rest of neighbouring countries and competitors, as is the case of Egypt. Moreover, "we believe that Italian grapes have a history and a reputation, so they have their place in the international market," added the head of Azienda Donnalucata.
This Italian company grows the grapes in greenhouses and has a team specialised in their harvesting and their subsequent packaging in order to ensure they give the best handling to the fruit, as well as the best customer service.
For more information:
Paolo Ficili
Azienda Donnalucata
Tel.: +39 3349820324