“The concept is to promote lemons to the world,” explained Martina Delacroix of ALL LEMON. “We'll talk about all varieties that come from all lemon-growing regions, and we'll explain where lemons come from and where they go, what times of year they're grown and when they're available.” Beyond the many aspects of lemon as a food commodity, the promotion will also include information that will hit home for many consumers, like how to pick the best lemon and how to use lemons to do laundry or clean the house.
“The most important thing is that we won't just talk about it to Argentina,” said Delacroix. “We want to talk to the whole world.” She added that they're working with companies and associations across the world to provide a regular stream of content for the interactive website that will be a part of the promotion. The site will go live in October and it will be updated weekly.
While the promotions arm of ALL LEMON is in the midst of a robust year, the production side of things has found it a tougher go. Like all growers in the Tucumán region of Argentina, the 16 growers that make up ALL LEMON have seen some of the lowest yields in recent years. The reason was a severe freeze that occurred in the winter of 2013 followed by a drought in spring. Exports for 2014 are expected to reach only 145,000 tons, which is 45 percent less than what ALL LEMON exported the previous year.
“Our volumes are about half what they were last year,” said Martijn Hazeu. “Many of the trees also died, and it takes about three or four years for them to grow back.” For that reason, lemon exports will likely not reach pre-freeze level for at least a few years. Argentina's main export market is Europe, and because of the recent Russian ban on European fruit, the European lemons that were destined for Russia will likely make up for any shortfalls a short Argentine season may have brought. That Argentina has a short crop also means that they won't be able to take advantage of the gap in the Russian market left by embargoed European fruit – it's more likely South African fruit will fill that. It's more likely that ALL LEMON will go after new markets, as they've done in Asia.
“The Asian market is very smart,” said Delacroix. “That's why they like ALL LEMON. They like us because we bring more value, and they are always looking for more value. Though there are 16 companies that are all competing against one another, those companies have been able to come together for the past five years and produce high-quality fruit. That's the advantage that we have, that we all have one face. Clients demand our fruit because they know what they'll get when they get a box from us.”