"Market demand repays us for our efforts, as the growing of Pesca di Leonforte IGP is laborious and patient work. It is a niche product much appreciated by consumers, so much so that it can be defined the queen of late peaches. There is more produce available than in 2018 and fruits have an excellent appearance," explain the Gervasi brothers.
Azienda agricola F.lli Gervasi was established 50 years ago in 1969 by Gaetano and his son Ignazio. The business is now run by Ignazio's five sons: Gaetano, Angelo, Massimo, Giuseppe and Marco. These peaches are a late variety that ripens between September and October.
The family business currently covers 14 hectares with 8,000 peach trees grown in central Sicily in compliance with strict specifications. It produces around 240 tons of fruit.
These peaches are available with either a yellow or a white flesh. In addition to the noble organoleptic qualities and the late ripening, they also stand out due to protective bags used. The method consists in protecting the fruit with water-resistant parchment paper against weather events and parasites.
"One of the main objectives is the improvement of production in terms of both yields and quality, though respecting traditional growing techniques."
"We process the fruits in the consortium facility, which is equipped with a large sorting machine that removes bags and brushes and grades fruits. Peaches are then placed in cardboard crates or other solutions depending to the type of store they are destined to."
"All crates report the name of the producer and the Consorzio di Tutela della Pesca IGP logo. This organization is like a big family where every company works as a team."
With the increase in production and mainly thanks to the development of transport, Pesca Di Leonforte IGP is available all over the national territory with an eye on the foreign markets as well.
"One of the emerging problems is definitely global warming, which has heavy effects on agriculture in general and therefore also on our peach orchards. Over the past few years, we have increasingly been dealing with sudden summer cloudbursts that risk damaging the fruit externally. Most of all, hailstorms destroy trees and heavily damage the fruits."
Contacts: 
Consorzio di Tutela della Pesca di Leonforte IGP
P.zza Branciforti, 2
Leonforte (EN) - Italy
Tel./Fax: (+39) 0935 904515
Cell.: (+39) 333 3551770
Email: info@pescadileonforte.it
Website: www.pescadileonforte.it