"Our Tarocco oranges are in great demand and will soon be back on the shelves in Italian and European supermarkets. These oranges are always a great success and are the only ones that don't suffer from foreign competition," said brothers Angelo and Vicenzo Di Pasquale, founders of the Donnalia brand. "This year retail is mainly looking for the large calibers. We still have decent volumes of those, fortunately, but we definitely want to promote the smaller sizes as well."
Vincenzo and Angelo Di Pasquale
Big or small, the Sicilian Tarocco orange is always tasty "The summer heat and other unfavorable weather conditions have contributed to a predominance of smaller sized oranges accounting for most of the available quantities. However, we remain optimistic because the taste and quality do not suffer with the smaller sizes. Therefore, we have to educate the consumer that a small orange is just as tasty. And since the quality is the same, buying such an orange means paying attention to sustainability, because that way the fruit is not wasted. We need to make even more efforts this year to inform our customers and consumers so that they can buy consciously and sustainably."
"The smaller fruit will still be marketed for fresh consumption, albeit at a lower price. Currently, growers' prices for the Tarocco orange range from €0.50 to €0.80, depending on the size and quality of the fruit."
Halved production "Due to the adverse weather, there are 50% fewer oranges hanging on the trees this year," the brothers tell us. "This will affect sales as there will be more demand than supply. Many trees have faced stress, first because of prolonged drought and then because of heavy rainfall with flooding. The impact of climate change is clear, both on horticulture and on our daily lives. Therefore, we must accept it as an opportunity to embrace sustainable cultivation practices as well as opt for FSC-certified cardboard packaging."
Co-branding with Consorzio dell'Arancia Rossa di Sicilia IGP (Consortium of the PGI Red Orange of Sicily) "After the winter holidays, we will start marketing our oranges in a set of four. The packaging is environmentally friendly and we are collaborating with the PGI Red Orange of Sicily. This cooperation started for the first time last year and it turned out to be very successful, so this year we are going to continue on the same path with even higher volumes."
Donnalia is synonymous with high quality standards, both in cultivation and in terms of the sustainability of the fruit and when a farm focuses on consumer satisfaction, all of its supply chain members benefit from it.
"Quality and taste are the cornerstones of our brand philosophy. Hard work pays off, and in the case of Donnalia this is reflected in a new packing plant in Delia, a village in the province of Caltanissetta, which is expected to be operational sometime in 2022," concluded the Di Pasquale brothers.
For more information: 
Donnalia
Di Pasquale Srl
Via Michelangelo, 7
93010 Delia (CL) - Italy
+39 0922 826009
amministrazione@dipasqualeortofrutta.com
www.donnalia.com