Around 220,000 tonnes of apples are expected to be produced this season by VI.P, the Association of Horticultural Producers of Val Venosta; a figure which is 35% lower than usual and a consequence of the bad weather conditions that affected the crops in April and August.
However, the Head of Sales in the Iberian Peninsula, Christiane Gfrei, has offered reassurance to Val Venosta's regular customers. "We have designed a commercial strategy to be active throughout the year in the Spanish market." For more than a decade, the Italian cooperative consortium has had distributors in Spain's large wholesale markets in order to supply traditional traders and fruit stores. Moreover, it is directly and indirectly present in large retail areas, supermarkets and hypermarkets in order to be accessible to consumers with different purchasing habits.
Smaller and more staggered batches throughout the season
For VI.P, the Iberian Peninsula represents approximately 10% of the sales, which are made to a total of 50 countries. This year, around 20,000 tonnes of Val Venosta apples will be distributed. "We started supplying our main varieties, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious, in early November, but also club varieties such as the Ambrosia™ and Kanzi®," says Gfrei, who acknowledges that the volumes are a bit below the average, but perfectly in line with the forecasts made by Val Venosta. "As for our new Envy™, we started with limited volumes, but we expect it to be as successful in Spain as it already is in the Italian market," says the Head of Sales.
Smaller and more staggered batches throughout the season
For VI.P, the Iberian Peninsula represents approximately 10% of the sales, which are made to a total of 50 countries. This year, around 20,000 tonnes of Val Venosta apples will be distributed. "We started supplying our main varieties, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious, in early November, but also club varieties such as the Ambrosia™ and Kanzi®," says Gfrei, who acknowledges that the volumes are a bit below the average, but perfectly in line with the forecasts made by Val Venosta. "As for our new Envy™, we started with limited volumes, but we expect it to be as successful in Spain as it already is in the Italian market," says the Head of Sales.
In this early stage of the campaign, the batches are smaller due to the rise in the price levels and the limited product availability. "However, the market is responding well. Little by little, the volumes are increasing and there is more stability in the supply," points out the Head of Sales for the Iberian Peninsula, who has planned a staggered distribution of the product in smaller quantities over a few months with the goal of keeping its long-time clients.
Quality and varieties
The association is marketing 11 apple varieties, with both integrated production and BIO production lines. The largest volumes correspond to the Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Gala and Pinova, and there are also Kanzi® Club, Envy™, Ambrosia™ and Yello®.
Quality and varieties
The association is marketing 11 apple varieties, with both integrated production and BIO production lines. The largest volumes correspond to the Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Gala and Pinova, and there are also Kanzi® Club, Envy™, Ambrosia™ and Yello®.
As for the quality of the harvest this season, its flagship product, the Golden, has very good colouration and maintains its characteristic reddish side thanks to the temperature changes recorded before the harvest.
Regarding red varieties, these apples stand out for their quality. "At the start of this season, Gala and Redchief sales are perfectly in line with our forecasts, and we have larger pieces in addition to the usual medium sizes," explains Gfrei. In late February, the Gala campaign is expected to end and other varieties will arrive, along with the traditional Golden, so as to continue operating in the Iberian market.