Widely renowned for its citrus fruit and grape production, Sicily could well see its agricultural landscape change. In the face of climate change, many producers are turning to other crops. Specialist organic wholesaler ProNatura (Organic Alliance Group) has decided to follow its partner growers in the exotic adventure. Sébastien Darrort and Joachim Blanc, purchasing and supply manager and buyer at ProNatura, explain.
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Aldo de Azzalora at Castrofilippo (Canicatti area)
"We work with around 40 Sicilian producers"
Although ProNatura started out locally, the need to complete production cycles gradually pushed it towards other regions and other countries. Italy - and Sicily in particular - quickly became the obvious choice. "Sicily is geographically close to our head office in Cavaillon, but it is above all a top-quality terroir with rich volcanic soils that produce top-quality fruit and vegetables, often superior to those from other regions," explains Sébastien Darrort. The company has been present in Sicily for about thirty years, producing mainly grapes and citrus fruit, as well as artichokes, carrots, and potatoes to supplement production in the event of shortages or end of production. "We work with around forty Sicilian producers, 20 for citrus fruit, 10 for grapes, and more than 10 vegetable growers. Italy accounts for around 12,000 tons of organic fruit and vegetables, three-quarters of which come from Sicily."
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Sicily: "human-scale farming that allows us to control quality"
What attracted ProNatura to Sicily was also "the tradition of vegetable growing and arboriculture, with specialized producers who have preserved a know-how that guarantees quality." This mastery of quality is made possible by the nature of the structures, which are still largely family-run. "Sicilian agriculture is on a human scale, not a race for productivity. They produce good and beautiful produce, and this fits with our vision of agriculture," explains Sébastien Darrort. "The many labels of origin and quality awarded to Sicilian products, in particular the PGIs, bear witness to this," explains buyer Joachim Blanc, referring to the famous Syracuse lemons and Calabrian clementines. We also sell Orange Ribera, a premium orange (Washington Navel variety) which owes its quality to the area in which it is produced." The wholesaler has identified this product as a favorite, selling between 600 and 700 tons a year.
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Francesco and Anna Maria from COOP Arcobaleno in Villafranca (Ribera region)
Exotic fruit straight from Sicily?
Guided by climate change, producers now have to adapt. "We need to prepare tomorrow's production," insists Sébastien Darrort. At the request of its partner growers, ProNatura has decided to extend its existing range of exotics to the Sicilian origin. "There is real potential for avocados and mangoes, but also for lychees and passion fruit." These are all opportunities for diversification that will be exploited, and they coincide with steadily rising consumption. "Who knows, in a few years' time, avocados could even be a commonly grown species in Sicily, as they are in Spain today. About 100 hectares of each species have already been planted. These large-scale trials "could be increased or even duplicated in the coming years." But Sébastien Darrort remains cautious. "It is still a little early to say with any certainty that we are building a sustainable sector, especially as Sicily is also subject to the vagaries of the weather." The previous season was marked by temperatures approaching 50°C. "Some mangoes were literally burnt by the sun, and the avocado trees suffered a lot of physiological damage."
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Pippo from Assofruit in Capo d'Orlando
© ProNatura ProNatura already has a range of exotic fruits: lychees from Madagascar and Reunion Island, pineapples from Costa Rica, mangoes from Burkina Faso and Peru (Kent, Keitt and Ataulfo varieties), and bananas from the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. A special end-of-year festive range is also deployed each year, with some twenty references including Mangosteen, Rambutan, Passion Fruit, and Salak from Uganda, Indonesia, and Thailand.
A new logistics site in Gironde
Finally, ProNatura continues to expand its network. After Cavaillon, Strasbourg, Rungis, Nantes, Perpignan, and Brittany, the company inaugurated a new logistics site last October at Vayres, near Bordeaux (Gironde). The 5,420 m² building - formerly the site of organic wholesaler Pronadis, taken over by Organic Alliance in November 2024 - employs around 50 people, and has been packing, storing, and shipping organic fruit and vegetables since September 15th, 2025. "The aim is always to be as close as possible to consumers and to develop local partnerships with our producers," explains Sébastien Darrort. "This new site will enable us to achieve a local supply rate of 40% (arboriculture, vegetable crops in greenhouses and open fields)."
For more information:
ProNatura
754 Av. Pierre Grand, 84300 Cavaillon
Phone: +33 (0) 4 90 78 73 00
pronatura.com
