This has not been an easy campaign for table grapes. The pandemic induced many retailers to privilege the local produce at the expense of the imported one, which hindered the sale of some seasonal Italian products.
FreshPlaza talked about it with Michele Sodano, a young entrepreneur from Campania specialized in citrus fruit and table grapes for his family's business, Ortofrutta Mele. "There was a surplus caused by the slow purchases from European retailers. Many small producers are trying to place their produce on a market that is already saturated which, of course, drives prices down."
"Although we are indeed affected by the general drop in quotations, we manage to get good prices thanks to our hard work of the past ten years: Ortofrutta Mele has in fact loyal customers that are willing to pay more for a high-quality product. Our logo, which I designed, makes our products stand out."
Michele Sodano
Michele Sodano started selecting the best Victoria grapes from expert Sicilian producers already in mid-June. They trust Ortofrutta Mele to obtain fair prices on the premium product market.
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The Sicilian early table grape campaign will continue for a few weeks with around 1,000 tons in total, then the entrepreneur will move on to Puglia to continue the Victoria grape campaign.
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"It order to properly celebrate the ten years of our logo, we decided to introduce a QR Code that can provide additional information to final consumers. What is more, we have made a short video with the help of a Sicilian videomaker that explains our purpose and our daily commitment."
Thanks to its own fleet of refrigerated trucks, Ortofrutta Mele had no logistic problems when it came to delivering the produce. The trucks are customized with the company logo and imagery.
Contacts:
Michele Sodano
Cell.: +39 333 3367869
Ortofrutta di Mele Carmela sas
Via Orlando 29
80049 Somma Vesuviana (NA)
Tel.: +39 (0)81 5307933
Fax: +39 (0)81 5308624
Email: ortofruttamele2018@gmail.com
