Consorzio VOG: Marlene brand on the Spanish market for 10 years

In 2007, the Marlene brand was launched on the Spanish market for the first time. Gerhard Dichgans, manager of VOG, “During that year, the ‘Spain Project’ was born. Since then, we've made huge steps forward. The analyses show that the Marlene brand is the most renowned on the Spanish market. Furthermore, Spain represents the third market for the company, after Italy and Germany”.

The last campaign did not go exceptionally well. This time, VOG is actualizing a massive communication campaign for its Marlene brand in order to highlight its difference from the low-price produce coming from Poland.

Good expectations for the club apples. The harvest increased for the Pink Lady, Kanzi and Jazz varieties. The Envy variety has been going extremely well, thanks to the plants planted in the previous years.

The VOG-Marlene Spanish team

Dichgans, “Pink Lady is a good example of the segmentation logic that is catching on in Spain. Starting from the 2nd of November, the Envy variety will be available on the Spanish market together with VI.P and Nufri. We have to wait a couple of weeks more for Italy. This variety has great potential both in Spain and in Italy. This produce can be placed in the supersweet apple segment. We can still farm 100 hectares – added to the 80 already planted. This year, our production volumes have doubled, thus allowing us to acquire new clients and distributors by working with continuity throughout the campaign”.

Yello is one of the innovative varieties introduced in Italy over the last two years. “We received very positive partial responses on this apple. We harvested 300 tons of this, which we will market from the 14th of November”.

With regard to overseas and foreign markets, Malaysia and Singapore showed very positive results for the Pink Lady, the Granny Smith and the Gala varieties. “Also, something has started moving again in Brazil, where contacts are catching up. India is still busy taking care of its own production, the export of which could start in a few weeks. It is also worth to mention Maghreb and Libya, which is recovering after two very difficult years”.

10 years of Fruit Attraction
VOG-Marlene has participated in Fruit Attraction since the first edition. The fair honoured the earlier exhibitors with a recognition of belonging to the ‘Fruit Attraction family’.

We asked Dichgans what the development had been in these years. “From a local-national fair, we have become an international exhibition. The actual stands have improved: from small exhibition spaces to the different availability of spaces we have nowadays. I remember that we were one of the first foreign companies that participated in Fruit Attraction. Probably, we were the only one.

Dichgans concluded, “That also corresponded to the moment in which we decided to market our Marlene brand in Spain, as well”.