The demand for apples is high, the product does not present any problems in terms of shelf life and the quality is very good. However, the quantities involved are very high and the prices are therefore not very satisfactory.
This is the description made by Massimo Venturoli, head of the apple sector for the company Cenerini at agri-food centre of Bologna: "We can certainly not say that there is no consumption of apples, at least for what concerns us. Actually, consumption is high. The apple, as an article, is very much in demand and this is also thanks to the leap in quality made by many branded products or clubs.
The offer of the brand product is growing and prices are always higher than the undifferentiated. The packaging is not really relevant, and retailers buy apples that are recognisable because they offer more certainty in terms of quality.
"The most common package is the classic container 30x50. With regard to the most popular type, the situation is much more complex today than in the past: the Golden remains the best seller, while the Stark is in sharp decline. The space left by the latter is taken up by brand and club products".
Venturoli describes another increasingly growing phenomenon. "I have a large number of street customers selling retail goods in local markets. They buy an average of 1 ton of apples every two days. In this case, they are loose apples, in bins, of good quality, sold at about 0,50 euro/kg. Then they sell them, generally, at 0.99 euro/kg. The quantities sold are really considerable. The itinerant street market is a channel not to be overlooked, as it seeks to combine the best price to good quality".
Contacts:
Cenerini Spa
Via Paolo Canali, 1
40127 Bologna (BO) - Italia
Tel.: (+39) 051 2861161
Web: www.cenerini.com