"We started harvesting strawberries in late March and will continue until late June. Ours is not a mass-production, but rather a selected one, so we manage to also reach the big retail sale chains and wholesale markets focusing on organolpetic qualities," explains Davide Modigliani, a producer from Cesenatico (Forlì-Cesena) that grows protected crops of the PIR5 variety.
"This variety stands out thanks to its flavor, with a high sugar content combined with the right acidic balance. For us producers, this is a good variety because it is very rustic. I have been growing it for over 10 years on the same land and disinfect the plots every 3-4 years. Yet productivity is not diminishing and quality remains excellent."
Bad weather hit the Modigliani company over the past few days, with a hailstorm that damaged uncovered orchards and the strawberries located along the sides of the tunnels. "There were minimum problems for strawberries, while damage was considerable for some stone fruit productions that were still uncovered. Luckily, most of the peach and cherry orchards were indeed covered by anti-hail nets."
Davide Modigliani
To obtain the best quality, Modigliani prefers planting on single rows and keeping 20 cm between rows. This helps achieve a better ventilation and lowers the risk of fungal diseases.
"My policy is to have similar average prices throughout the entire campaign, avoiding the tricks that we usually see in chains e.g. high prices in the beginning, followed by special offers and other hikes... I try to keep average prices similar throughout the production: I could make more in the beginning, but then things work out with the late produce. Plus consumers get used to conveying value to a product or, actually, the right value to high-quality strawberries."
For further information
Modigliani Frutta
Via Vetreto 264,
47042 Cesenatico (FC) -Italy
+39 0547 311002
d.modigliani@libero.it
www.modiglianifrutta.it