Abate and Williams are the two Pera Mantovana Igp varieties sold in recent weeks by the La Grande Bellezza Italiana network. "The 2025 harvest was good in terms of quantities and excellent in terms of quality, but yields were not as we had hoped," explains Paolo Morselli, contact person for the Pera Mantovana Consortium.
© La Grande Bellezza Italiana
"It is now more difficult to produce than to sell, not least because our pears stand out in the panorama of domestic and, even more so, foreign supplies. PGI Mantovana pears have their own market that grows larger and larger every year, also thanks to the LGBI network."
The 'Pera Mantovana Igp' denomination is used for pears of the following varieties: Abate, William, Max Red Bartlett, Conference, Decana del Comizio, Abate Fetel, Kaiser, cultivated in almost all the municipalities of the Mantua province.
© La Grande Bellezza Italiana
Leonardo Odorizzi, coordinator of La Grande Bellezza Italiana, explains that "the situation for pears from Mantua is not easy. From a qualitative point of view, fruits are processed in our warehouses and, thanks to the storage in units without the use of products that block the ripening process, they reach consumers with a high organoleptic level. Distribution has also started again this year to some important chains: we are still in a volume testing phase, but consumer return is interesting, as the history of pear cultivation in this area is very old."
Odorizzi explains the importance of storage in detail. "The warehouse dedicated to processing pears - among the 13 on which the LGBI organisation is based - has invested in quality technology over the past three years. Units are all equipped with dynamic controlled atmosphere, one of the few in Italy, which allows us to regain the taste that has made Italian pears famous, even after medium-long storage periods. The technology acts on fruit preservation without altering the ripening cycle once storage is over."
© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.comPackaging trials
"The placement of Pera Mantovana IGP began in 2022, thanks to an agreement with the producers of the Mantua area. It is one of the oldest fruits in the country, with artistic evidence dating it back to 1472. The test phase is underway in some Italian chains, and consumer feedback is high, so we are working on increasing the number of certified hectares. The size placed in the packages is medium-high, in line with the premium positioning that a PGI must guarantee."
For more information
La Grande Bellezza Italiana
Business network
C.so Milano 36/A
37138 Verona - Italy
[email protected]
www.lagrandebellezzaitaliana.it
