"Everyone feels deeply about environmental matters, including final consumers. In line with this trend and with our company vision, we are shipping our kiwifruits in plastic-free trays, in various formats and manufactured thanks to the ZippMatic machine," reported Francesco Eichstaedt, export manager of AgricolliBio.
AgricolliBio is a young dynamic company specializing in the production and commercialization of kiwifruit. It boasts a team focused on innovation and experimentation, an added value that makes it competitive on a global scale. The company deals with countless exotic products (avocados, demeter apples and pears, demeter turmeric and ginger, sweet potatoes, citrus fruit, etc.), but kiwifruit remain the main focus.
"The kiwifruit campaign started in mid-September with Green Light, an early green variety that accompanied the sales of Hayward from Argentina and Chile until late October, while the Italian Hayward season started in November. From a commercial point of view, after the first 'shy' client tests, sales have stabilized all over Europe. The golden kiwifruit season started in mid-October. Demand is increasing year after year - 20-30% on average. The challenge will actually be to reach March to start with the imports from South Africa. Red kiwifruits are still a niche product, but they are much appreciated especially in northern Europe and overseas. This year, we increased our production by 40% but are aiming higher for the next season."
As regards the value attributed to innovation, the manager explained that "we were among the first to believe and invest in laser branding. We currently work with a machine that can recognize the number of fruits and their position and that can modify the intensity of the marking depending on the product. We ship Violea red kiwifruits that have the same shelf-life as golden and green kiwis. The branding process in general is very quick, even 2-3 pallets an hour on average."
"We have obtained excellent feedback from all over Northern Europe for both investments and have great expectations when it comes to laser branding and plastic-free packaging. Raising customer awareness is key to innovate the chain. Stay tuned for more updates!"
Contacts:
Francesco Eichstaedt
Agricolli Bio
Email: f.eichstaedt@agricolli.bio
Cell.: +39 380 4791021