“We started harvesting cherries about two weeks ago,” explains Alexandre Cerdan, of the company Les Fruits de Provence. “For us, this early in the season, the volumes are rather low. This is the backlash from last year. The trouble is that the mistral winds resulted in losses of 20 to 50%.” But these difficult weeks now seem to be a thing of the past. The wind has died down and a few rays of sunshine and warm temperatures are expected this week.
Generally speaking, the situation is far from alarming. “The lack of heat means that, for the moment, the demand, although present, is also not very high. So, even if we suffered a few losses early in the season, the market remains balanced.” Especially since the weather hazards of this year have not affected the quality of the fruits.
“Of course, we will easily catch up this year, it is only the beginning of the season. We have more varieties coming, such as the Carmen and Folfer,” explains Alexandre.
A company committed to an eco-friendly approach
Les Fruits de Provence is a family business where apples, pears, cherries, apricots have been grown in the summer and lettuce in the winter on hundreds of hectares for several generations between the banks of the Rhône river and the beautiful Alpilles park. In order to produce in the respect of the environment, a value which is dear to them, Alexandre and his family decided to take a number of steps. “We began a process of conversion to organic farming 5 years ago,” explains Alexandre. “About 30% of our plots for all fruits are already certified organic, while others are in the process of being certified. As for the rest, it has been awarded the “Eco-friendly Orchards” label (“Vergers Ecoresponsables) about 3 years ago.”
For more information: 
Alexandre Cerdan
Les Fruits de Provence
2500 Route de Boulbon
13150 Tarascon – France
Phone: +33 (0)6 08 28 57 10
commerce@lesfruitsdeprovence.fr
www.lesfruitsdeprovence.com