Swiss company joins Crimson Snow club

Andrea Iseppi, responsible for apples of Iseppi Frutta SA, 3rd generation producer/packer/marketer located in Switzerland: “We are very happy to have a license for Switzerland. The potential of the variety and the brand are enormous. The apple speaks for itself, the purple red color is very attractive, the balanced taste convinces, the shelf life is really good, a crunchy and juicy apple. The late maturity and sales window do fit perfectly in our strategy with Rubens®. We are convinced that Crimson Snow can easily compete with the most successful clubs. Amongst other quality characteristics, also the bigger size of the fruit is an advantage.”

Jürgen Braun (KIKU), Andrea Iseppi (Iseppi Frutta)

Jürgen Braun, CEO of KIKU Variety Management: “Iseppis are our friends, and fit perfectly into the Crimson Snow family with trustful companies like Italian F.lli Clementi, Rivoira and Sanifrutta, as well as Serbian Verda Vivo/Agrounija. All producers of these Partners are enthusiastic, as it is really grower friendly: it needs less work, it is environmental friendly, its picked almost in one go, has a very high packout, and is just perfect in storage. This gives our growers a very nice remuneration, important to have those producing quality fruits and be ready for innovations.

But that´s not enough. The consumer needs to love the apple. This is confirmed by a high consumer acceptance last season, with the first critical volume of 1.300tons marketed last season in a short period of time. This year we expect 3.000tons, some retailers in Europe already want to get all apples exclusively, mainly because of the consumer acceptance, the good shelf-life, the easy handling with almost no losses. The focus will be in Italy, Germany, Spain, North Africa, Arabian countries and Asia.”

Andrea Iseppi: “We work hard and professionally every day. The quality of our fruit must be very high. Innovation must be constant, and the choice of new varieties is essential. We decided to invest in Crimson Snow because we strongly believe in it, which is not enough. We found the same effort and passion in the Braun brothers, very important in the launch of a novelty. Also the other members of the Crimson Snow club are family companies with a tradition in the industry.”

Braun: “All of us totally believe in the project, both the group of Partners and KIKU Variety Management: after planting 12 hectares in the last years, this winter we plant 10 more. The European group has already planted 100ha. The masterplan of the group talks about 500 hectares to be planted before 2017. It is important to achieve 10.000tons, then 20.000tons, as soon as possible which will enable expansion of existing programs with our big clients.

Tests sites have been set up at Partner´s place in USA, Chile, South Africa and New Zealand, while in Australia there is almost 20 hectares of Crimson Snow® and fans have been able to appreciate the apple for years.“

For more information: www.crimsonsnow-apple.com