The new processing plant of Masseria Fruttirossi – located in one of the most fertile areas of the Taranto region – was funded by a private Italian investor for 50 million euros.
On the 2nd of October, in front of several national authorities, the ceremonial ribbon was cut.
The production manager Davide De Lisi explained, “This is a tremendous agroindustrial pole. There are more than 330 cultivated hectares with pomegranates, Goji berries and Aronia berries. We are the national leader in the pomegranate production with 250 hectares only for the pomegranates – which correspond to 150.000 plants. This surface will grant us 25 million fruits every year. We took this specific choice two years ago. Thanks to an amazing teamwork, that dream has become reality. We wanted to grow this crop not only because of the high demand from the markets but also because of the pomegranate’s healthy properties.
The De Lisi family together with their partner Bruno Bolfo wanted to realise a modern agroindustrial project. In doing so, they could control a chain that would start from the farming to the processing and marketing of the product.
De Lisi explains, “We officially started the commercialization with the Super Fruit Day. We are marketing pomegranates, 100gr baskets of arils, juices, dried and fresh berries (Lome Super Fruit brand). The 100% pomegranate juices are produced through a new high-pressure pasteurizing technique using containers in Pet. The Hiperbaric 420 HPP machine eliminates the bacteria from our juices through hydrostatic pressures up to 6.000 bar. Therefore, the product could last up to 65 days. This process preserves the nutritional, sensorial and organoleptic properties of our fruits.
The plant is built over an area of 13.000 sqm, including 7.000 sqm of cold storages, some of which have controlled atmosphere allowing to store the pomegranates up to 5 months after the harvesting.
A very modern selection and calibration plant has been installed within the factory. This was designed and manufactured precisely for Masseria Fruttirossi by Ser.mac. This machinery allows executing all those operations involved in the processing of pomegranates: emptying the bins, calibrating, quality selection and even the packaging.
This unique plant is equipped with the exclusive HDiA pomegranates technology. This system has been designed entirely by the R&D department of Ser.mac. It allows selecting pomegranates without damaging them by taking into account the size, the colour and the flaws of the product.
The whole processing process has been industrialized thanks to HDiA pomegranates. Therefore, both the production volumes increase and the production costs decrease. We are extremely careful in order to respect the quality of the product we offer to our consumers.
Regarding the production calendar, De Lisi explains, “we have just finished marketing the Ako variety. Now, we are ready to calibrate and to process of the Wonderful variety – this will keep us busy until half November. Additionally, we have the Emik® and the Shari® as early varieties. They will get into production starting from next August".
“Our company offers products from a short and controlled supply chain. Pomegranates are natural antioxidants. Our juice (Lome Super Fruit brand) is extracted from fresh preservatives and colourant free fruits, with no extra sugar”. The product manager concludes, “Over time, Masseria Fruttirossi aims at investing on specific products that facilitate the wellbeing of our final consumers.
Info:
Masseria Fruttirossi – Lome Super Fruit
C.da Terzo Dieci snc
74011 Castellaneta – Taranto – Italy
Tel: (+39) 099 9647688
Email: info@lomesuperfruit.com
Web: lomesuperfruit.com