According to the exporter, quality is very high in terms of flavour, with good juice and sugar levels, which also helps in boosting demand. "Prices are good in almost all European destinations, which in part is also due to the lower volume of early fruit available at the start of the campaign," he adds.
At the moment, Brio Fruits is working with Oronules clementines, since the sale of Clemenrubi, which started in mid-September, has already come to a close. "In November we will go from Oronules to Clemenules, as well as to the first Navelina oranges, of which we also expect smaller volumes because of problems with the setting."
Varietal renovation at the end of the campaign
According to Abel Alarcón, the trend in the sector is to reduce the acreage of mid-season citrus, such as Clemenules, mainly due to the high concentration of volumes in December and January, so growers are switching to late and early varieties.
Brio Fruits has completely renewed its range of varieties at the end of the season, going for better-tasting varieties.
"Late in the campaign we used to cultivate Fortuna and Ortanique, but we stopped selling these varieties last season. We are now mostly marketing the Orri, which we produce in Spain and also buy from other producers," he explains. "There are many late varieties that have been planted in recent years, but in our opinion, the Orri is the best when it comes to organoleptic qualities."
Brio Fruits citrus to be exhibited for the first time at Fruit Attraction
Brio Fruits will have a stand at Fruit Attraction for the first time. "Since Fruit Attraction started, we have attended every edition held so far as visitors. We have seen the fair growing every year, with an increasing number of international visitors, which is interesting for an export-oriented firm like us," points out Abel Alarcón.
Also, "we believe that the dates of the event are very convenient, since they coincide with the start of our citrus campaign," he adds. "It will be a test year for us, but we have great expectations."