The Sicilian strawberry season has just begun in the Sicilian province of Marsala (TP), an area that has been highly specialized in this crop for many years. One of the companies involved in high quality strawberry growing is the organic farm "I Frutti del Sole".
Strawberries in polytunnels
"Here, the harvest of ripe strawberries begins in October and continues until June, thanks to the soil and climate conditions that distinguish our area," said Filippo Licari, company director.
Filippo Licari
I Frutti del Sole was founded in 1992 and, since then, it has undergone a growth that has now reached almost 70 hectares of land that are home to highly prized citrus fruit crops such as Navel oranges, white zagara lemons, mandarins (late Ciaculli), Diamante citrons, Star Ruby grapefruits and Hass avocados. The fruit list is also quite interesting, with cultivars such as quince apples, jujubes, plums, blackberries, guava and other exotic species. Last but not least, there are vegetables such as Swiss chard, kale, turnip greens and other seasonal crops. Everything is always and strictly organically grown.
Quince apples
I Frutti del Sole sells 50% of its products to specialized retailers, 40% of which to wholesalers and 10% are sold through the e-commerce channel https://shop.ifruttidelsole.it/. While 60% of the company's products remain in Italy, the remaining 40% go abroad, mainly to northern Europe.
Vegetables grown in open field
But let's get back to strawberries, which are the company's most interesting crop at the moment.
“This crop covers more than 10 hectares, and the company is planning to expand it from year to year. The varieties that are grown are mainly Beauty, Savana and Melissa. The latter is the late variety, with a longer shelf life, which reaches the markets until June. Beauty, on the other hand, is an early variety, which allows harvesting as early as October thanks to early transplants and the type of structure created to protect the plants, the so-called cold tunnels. These are unheated structures and therefore more sustainable than the product grown at northern European latitudes,” continued the entrepreneur.
Our crops are all grown under certified organic farming methods. The fertilizers used are natural and the agronomic techniques employed allow the harvest to continue until early summer. Our strawberry cultivation is part of a much broader project to protect biodiversity in the field, in which different types of plants are rediscovered and cared for in a completely natural environment that respects insects, grassland, fauna and the many varieties of our territory," concluded Licari.
For more information: 
I Frutti del Sole
C.da Ciavolo 225/B
91025 Marsala (TP) – ITALY
+39 333 3126887
m.licari@ifruttidelsole.it
www.ifruttidelsole.it