Just a few weeks after its start, the Italian table grapes season is going great: at the moment, it is one of the very few doing well.
Sergio Ronchetti, manager of Fruttital at the Caab-Centro Agro Alimentare di Bologna, explained that "we mainly sell seedless Thompson grapes from Apulia. Vittoria grapes have also started coming in. Quality is excellent and we even reached €2.50/kg. We can't really complain - grapes, strawberries and cherries are all doing well, the exact opposite of melons and apricots."
"A lot of grapes also come from Sicily and Southern Italy. What really pushes sales is quality - if it is good, then good prices can be achieved, otherwise it is difficult to sell the produce."
Things are more or less the same in another big wholesale market - Cesena. Riccardo Bargellini, sales manager and co-owner of Gobbi Gino snc, says that "practically, we only have Vittoria grapes. Black Magic is also available but it is not really popular around here."
At the beginning of the Italian season, the main production area is Sicily. "We managed to sell 8-900 packets at €2.50/kg in just 12-15 days. Then things slowed down as ripening did and consumers are not really into green grapes."
This meant that there was a gap for the produce from Apulia. "We have started selling Vittoria grapes from the region 4-5 days ago. We sold 156 packets a €2/kg, the highest price of the entire Cesena market. Demand was even higher, but there was not enough produce, we were sold out already in the morning."
Contacts:
Fruttital srl
Via Paolo Canali, 1 – Bologna c/o Caab
Tel.: (+39) 051 2861481
Fax: (+39) 051 2861510
Gobbi Gino snc
Via Dismano, 4001 - Pievesestina (FC) c/o Mercato ortofrutticolo
Tel e Fax: (+39) 0547 312041
Email: gobbiginosnc@virgilio.it
Web: www.gobbiginosnc.it