After several French actors joined the Lovita approach, the red-fleshed heart-shaped plum with a high Brix level (17-22%) developed by French Fruit Lovers, made from the selections of Israeli breeder Ben Dor, is entering the Spanish market. It is now Fruites Font’s turn to join the Lovita partners as an authorized distributor, with exclusive distribution rights in Spain. The company is a leading Spanish player producing 60,000 tons/year of stone and pome fruit. The development of Lovita is therefore taking on a European dimension, in line with the strategy announced by French Fruit Lovers in 2018: welcoming the key European actors into the Lovita approach.
After the first contacts initiated in 2019 at the Fruit Attraction fair in Madrid, Fruites Font quickly expressed its commercial interest in the Lovita plum and wanted to participate actively in its development on the Spanish market, leading to integration of the Spanish company in the Lovita organization.
Sébastien Guy, commercial director of French Fruit Lovers, is delighted with this strategic development. “The Spanish market is at the heart of the Lovita marketing strategy. It was therefore essential to welcome a partner as professional, enthusiastic and responsive as Fruites Font.”
Xavier Font, manager of Fruites Font, explains his interest in Lovita. “Lovita meets our varietal selection criteria and has several marketing assets which include exceptional taste qualities and the fact that it keeps extremely well on the shelves.”
A good harvest in spite of the frost
Although a good part of the plum varieties were severely impacted by the April frost, the Lovita plum seems to have been spared. Indeed, the producers have been able to protect their orchards efficiently and the rustic character of the variety also helped limit the losses related to these weather hazards.
The harvest predictions reach 100 tons this year, which is twice as much as last year. The harvest should begin during the first week of September. With the new plantings carried out in the winter in southwestern and southeastern France, as well as in Spain, the production should continue to increase exponentially in the coming years. It will be possible to taste the Lovita plum this year at Fruit Attraction.
For more information:
Monika Kujundzic
Marketing & Communication manager
French Fruit Lovers
2788 route de la Mégère
82200 Moissac - France
Phone: +33 (0)5 63 04 01 06
Mobile: +33 (0) 6 62 02 77 15
[email protected]
www.lovita-plum.com
