There is high demand, but production is below expectations. Nowadays, it seems more difficult to produce than to sell, and strawberries are a confirmation of this in this early part of the season.
"The weather in January and early February caused a loss of product of between 30 and 40%, depending on the area. Demand is currently greater than the product available, and customers are asking for strawberries from abroad as well. Unfortunately, it is not possible to meet demand as we would like to," reports Antonio Zani, Italy sales manager for Op Granfrutta Zani.
© Cristiano Riciputi | FreshPlaza.comLeft to right: Antonio, Giulia, Sandro Zani, Enrico Silighini, Gianmarco Liverani
As for prices, Zani mentions that "Prices are obviously high, but not as high as one might expect with such a sharp drop in production. Among other things, the very rainy weather has caused an increase in the moisture content, which means that producers have to cope with higher percentages of rot and, therefore, strawberries are discarded already in the field."
Granfrutta Zani producers are located in both Basilicata and Campania, which are suitable areas for production in this period. "We expect the shortage to last for another couple of weeks, but we believe there will be a gradual recovery accompanied by an improvement in quality. When will we be back to normal? Difficult to say, at the moment, I would say around mid-March."
By that time, Granfrutta Zani will have all formats available for the different markets. Among the packaging solutions most popular over the past few years, there are the boxes with 12 350-gram trays, the 500 g single-layer tray, or the 1 kg crate.
Single-layer trays with a uniform product and high °Brix get positive feedback when the product is of high quality, which is precisely what Granfrutta Zani's Solatìa brand strawberries are, offered in the 1 kg option that will become available in the coming months.
For further information:
OP Granfrutta Zani
Via Monte Sant'Andrea
48018 Granarolo Faentino (RA)
+39 (0) 546 695211
[email protected]
www.granfruttazani.it
