The Federation of Pomegranate Producers of South-Occitania came to the 2023 edition of medFEL in order to represent this original red fruit. “Our federation was created in 2014 and it now has 60 producers. Three quarters of the production is organic because it is a plant that requires practically no chemical treatment. The federation recently registered a collective brand, “grenade Occitanie”, to guarantee the origin and know-how to the consumers,” explains Jacqueline Reig, vice-president of the federation.
Contrary to popular belief, the pomegranate is not exactly an exotic fruit in France, as it is endemic to the Eastern Pyrenees region. “The pomegranate has always existed in our region. In the past, pomegranate trees with thorns were used to surround the orchards in order to make them impassable. The famous painting by Sandro Botticelli, ‘The Virgin with the Pomegranate’, painted in the 1480s shows that the pomegranate is a fruit that was already known in Europe.”
The pomegranate remains a niche product in France, but its consumption has increased in recent years. “The pomegranate has many advantages including numerous nutritional properties. Personally, I would describe it as a health product. It is delicious when eaten fresh. Its round and sweet arils are very appealing to children who can compare it to candy. But it can also be transformed into sweet and colored juice, vinegar or syrup, which are all very natural and qualitative products.”
For more information:
Jacqueline Reig
Fédération des Producteurs de Grenades du Sud - Occitanie
earl.pyrenees@sfr.fr