"We have officially entered the phase where the grape market tends to shrink, both in terms of sales and prices. This trend is felt not only by those who supply the domestic markets, but also by those who operate on foreign markets, as we do." This was the comment of Claudio D'Alba of Plantis Group, an Apulian company active in the export of fruit and vegetables.
Claudio D'Alba and Lenka Brostikova.
"After an exceptional month of August in terms of business, with orders twice as high as last year, we are now seeing a slowdown that started at the beginning of September. The reasons are always the same, with the arrival of cooler temperatures, the opening of schools, a higher concern for savings after the summer vacations and a higher product availability."
"This trend usually lasts until the end of September, and then sees a gradual rise that continues at full speed up to late November. What distinguished us this year was the higher quality of the grapes in almost all Italian regions, with a larger than usual grain size and a higher sugar content."
"We are working very well with the chains of foreign large-scale retail chains, - said Claudio D'Alba - especially with Croatia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Estonia, Norway, Finland and Sweden. If we were to compare the current commercial phase with the same period last year, we would certainly say that grape exports, in any case, seem to be going better. The most requested varieties are the seedless ones like Superior, Crimson and Thompson."