Thanks to the support of Mipaaft and Distretto Agrumi Sicilia, Alibaba will be the first global platform supplying Sicilian blood oranges to China.
The fruit will be sold within the premium range and distributed as of the next few weeks, initially through Mr Fresh by Tmall, one of the group's online market places that reaches 637 million active Chinese consumers, and Freshippo, a "new retail" supermarket chain part of Alibaba.
"It has been two years of hard work for the Italian Alibaba team. We worked together with the Ministry and the Distretto and are proud to be able to promote a strategic product such as blood oranges on an important market such as the Chinese one," explained Rodrigo Cipriani Foresio (in the photo), Managing Director Alibaba Group for Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal, General Manager for Europe and Tmall Business Development. "As soon as the conditions were right, we put ourselves to work. We trust that Chinese consumers will be able to appreciate this Italian delicacy."
"After all, the Mediterranean diet is increasingly appreciated in Asia for its health benefits and oranges are one of the key products, together with a lot of other productions already available on our platforms. The first loads, purchased from Oranfrizer and Pannitteri, will travel by sea and by air so that we can test the best way to guarantee Chinese consumers a product that lives up to its renowned quality."
"The commercialization of Sicilian blood oranges in China through Alibaba's online and offline platforms started well. The work carried out by Distretto Agrumi Sicilia to promote this opportunity is starting to bear its fruits. The Distretto welcomed Alibaba's interest two years ago and put the Chinese company in touch with producer organizations part of the People of Sicily network," added Federica Argentati (in the photo), president of Distretto Agrumi di Sicilia.
"What is truly new is the fact that oranges can now be transferred by air, as they started being shipped by sea already in 2017. This way, the produce can reach its destination with a better quality and be sold within the top-end of the market. This was made possible by the work carried out by the Ministry for Economic Development and deputy PM Luigi Di Maio together with Mipaaf and Regione Sicilia."