With about 7000 tons of product, Agrintesa is a persimmon giant at the national and European level. The first "Persimmon Day" took place on 21 October 2025 at the headquarters in Faenza (Ravenna) in collaboration with the Alegra Group (consisting of the three companies Alegra, Valfrutta Fresco, and Brio). Aristide Castellari, President of Agrintesa, began by saying that "my grandfather was among the first to plant persimmons in Faenza (Ravenna) exactly one hundred years ago, in 1925. So this is a crop that has characterised Romagna for a century and has brought good income. Today, it is a question of keeping up with the times on both an agronomic and commercial level."
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© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.comAristide Castellari next to the boxes with the historical PAF (Produttori Agricoli Faentini) logo
"This year's expected production," explained Cristian Moretti, Agrintesa's general manager, "is down by 15% compared to 2024. Grades are larger and the quality is also better than last year, which was more complicated. The market, which started about 15 days ago, has shown good quotations, while demand has been a little weaker, and consumption has not been very lively. Consumption has become more dynamic a few days ago also due to the drop in temperatures."
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© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.comCristian Moretti
The 7,000 managed tonnes of persimmons (300 hectares of cultivated area) are equally divided between Loto di Romagna and Rojo Brilante, to which an expanding organic quota (12%) is added, marketed by Brio under the Alce Nero brand. 60% of the volumes remain on the Italian market, consolidating the national leadership of the Alegra Group, while Switzerland and France are growing as the main destinations for Loto di Romagna, and Rojo Brilante has a homogeneous distribution throughout Europe.
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© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.comEnrico Bucchi
Enrico Bucchi, General Manager of Valfrutta Fresco, explained that "Persimmons are part of our identity, from cultivation to marketing. In recent years, we have innovated at every stage, from agronomic management to marketing, because persimmons still have wide margins for growth. According to NielsenIQ data, it is the fruit preferred by 12% of Italian consumers: we therefore need to build the loyalty of those who already appreciate it and, at the same time, involve the youngest thanks to practical and versatile varieties such as Rojo Brillante."
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© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.com
The 2025 campaign marks the start-up of two new highly automated processing lines in the Faenza plant, destined to become the hub of the persimmon supply chain. "The new plant is equipped with Unitec's Apricot Vision 3.0 technology - a sorting system for size and colour that is being applied to a delicate product like persimmons for the first time. Each fruit undergoes automatic pre-sorting, which also detects any insect damage, before controlled ripening. In this way, we improve product uniformity, optimise processing time and reduce waste, providing customers and consumers with more uniform packages in terms of colour and size and more efficient handling of the different types of persimmons."
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© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.com
The two lines guarantee a processing capacity of 8 tonnes per hour, with peaks of over 100 tonnes per day. An investment that allows the cooperative to better plan ripening, calibrate batches according to market needs, and further enhance a product that is part of the history of the Faenza cooperative. "Automating sorting and sizing means our personnel, who have always specialised in persimmons, can focus on the most delicate phase, which is packaging."
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© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.com
"It is a technology at the service of our members and tradition, which allows us to protect and grow a fruit that is a symbol of our identity, which the Group has been able to innovate and relaunch, so much so that it has become one of the main products in our autumn basket."
For more information
Alegra
Via G Galilei 5,
48018 Faenza (RA) - Italy
+39 0546624401
www.alegrait.com
