"June recorded far higher demand than availability. July has instead been characterised by a dual trend so far, with good sales in Italy, and more difficulty in northern Europe due to the weather," reported Luciano Trentini, director of the Dolce Passione consortium, as he describes the first two months of sales during the event with journalists held in Lido di Spina (Ferrara) as guests of the Colombi family.
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© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.com
The Dolce Passione watermelon consortium gathers four important companies: Alma Seges (Eboli, Salerno), Cico Mazzoni (Tresignana, Ferrara), Ortofrutta Castello (Stanghella, Padua), and Lorenzini Naturamica (Sermide, Mantua). Dolce Passione is a black-rind watermelon of medium size (4-6 kg), with a high sugar content, deep red flesh, and no seeds. More than 400 hectares are being cultivated in 2025.
Luigi Castello (Ortofrutta Castello) reiterated that "The season has helped quality in the field, and sales have been satisfactory so far. Things can usually vary a lot in August, and we are hoping for a good finish, because we now have the highest percentage of production in northern Italy. We need a hand from the weather in northern Europe, where demand is stagnant at the moment and prices are not high.
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© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.comLuigi Castello
'We are pleased because our sales have increased by 20% compared to a year ago in some big retail chains, which is a sign of great consumer appreciation.
Carmine Alfano (Alma Seges) added that "The first fruits of our farmers located in the south of Italy did very well in terms of both yields and prices. Things are a bit slower abroad at this time due to the weather in northern Europe. However, sales went very well, and the outlook is very good for the next 45 days.
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© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.comRepresentatives of the various companies in the Dolce Passione Consortium
Nicoletta Magnoni of Lorenzini Naturamica explained that "We joined this project because it goes well with our ideals and traceability, also for consumers in the first place. Our company has always been characterised by this transparency. This is done by means of laser-printed codes on each fruit, which can be traced by consumers on our website. We also have an e-commerce platform for the fruit, which is getting good feedback, so that we can compensate for the lack in certain big retail chains."
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© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.comMatteo Mazzoni
Matteo Mazzoni of Cico Mazzoni confirmed that the yields from Sicily and Campania have been very high and are now very satisfactory, also in the north, with a market that has been profitable for both the agricultural base and for the subsequent links in the chain. "Now there is some heaviness in northern European markets, but we are confident that they will recover in the coming weeks."
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© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.comSandro Colombi of Known-You Seed Europe
Biodegradable plastics
Many novelties were introduced by the consortium in 2025, starting with a new Agronomic Specification and a Technical Protocol defined with Novamont Group to implement the use of biodegradable bioplastics in the soil.
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© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.comDaniele Martinelli of Ravipast
Daniele Martinelli, sales manager of Raviplast, explained that "These biodegradable plastics eliminate disposal problems at the root". Sandro Colombi, researcher at the seed company Known-You Seed Europe, clarified that "The degradation of these bioplastics takes place in a few weeks, without leaving any residues, and I have been using them in my company for almost 20 years."
For more information
Dolce Passione Consortium
+39 0425 958750
[email protected]
www.consorziodolcepassione.com
