"We are now halfway through the winter vegetable campaign. We still have most of our range available: Swiss chard, Catalogna chicory and puntarelle, parsley, fennel, broccoli, black cabbage, Romanesco cauliflower, and turnip greens. At the same time, we are transplanting spring-summer products such as courgettes, barattieri, caroselli, and zucchiolo. We are about to start with the asparagus campaign and with our berries, which include raspberries and blackberries. The new potato season and the stone fruit season, on the other hand, will start in May," reported Cosimo Leggiero, sales manager of Ortofrutticola Egnathia, the Apulian company that markets its products under the Miss Freschezza brand.
© Miss Freschezza
The weather has greatly influenced this year's production. "It rained a lot, and there was a lot of humidity, so some products were of lower quality. In addition, temperatures were higher than usual in some areas that produce more. This situation is happening more and more often and does not allow production to be planned according to latitude. This has caused prices to fall, which have sometimes been too low due to the high availability on the market. Nonetheless, we still register good interest from consumers and operators for fresh and high-quality products, which continue to be valued both on the Italian market as well as on some foreign ones."
The geopolitical context is also affected by the war in the Middle East. "The international geopolitical context inevitably also has repercussions on our sector. In particular, we have suffered some price variations related to the costs of transport and the different materials used throughout the supply chain. In general, the issue of costs remains one of the main problems for the sector. Today, many expenses related to production, logistics, and materials have become increasingly difficult for producers to bear. At the same time, price increases cannot always be passed on to consumers because the market is often unable to absorb them. This inevitably creates significant pressure on company margins and requires increasingly careful and strategic management of production and commercial activities."
© Miss Freschezza
According to Leggiero, the challenges are similar to the COVID-19 period, albeit with some differences. "During the pandemic, our sector was among the luckiest in some respects, because it never stopped and continued to operate, guaranteeing the availability of fresh products. Of course, there were cost increases and organisational difficulties, but overall the supply chain continued to function. Today, the challenges are mainly related to the economic sustainability of production, the volatility of the markets, and the need to manage higher and higher costs in parallel with the fact that, in our line of work, planning always takes place every six months."
© Ortofrutticola Egnathia - Miss Freschezza
First time as exhibitors at Macfrut
"After three consecutive seasons as exhibitors at the Madrid fair, we felt it was only natural to also participate in Macfrut in Rimini, which is one of the leading events for the fruit and vegetable sector in Italy. Among the various objectives we have set ourselves, there is that of presenting some of our leading products, such as the Barattì barattieri, on which the company has been focusing for years, with margins for expansion. We also want to introduce zucchiolo, a new product which we believe will attract operators in the sector. The anticipation of the fair at the end of April gives us the opportunity to meet the operators with a better timing, also for the stone fruit and table grape campaigns."
© Ortofrutticola Egnathia - Miss Freschezza
According to Leggiero, events like Macfrut represent an important opportunity to meet and compare with operators from different markets. "For us, it is first of all a moment to consolidate relationships with customers and partners with whom we already work, but also to get in touch with new interlocutors and assess possible opportunities for collaboration. The aim is to continue to build solid and long-lasting relationships, while progressively broadening our business horizons."
Ortofrutticola Egnathia will be exhibiting at Rimini Fiera, from 21 to 23 April 2026, in Hall D5 - Stand 125.
For more information:
Cosimo Leggiero - sales manager
+39 349 2466936
Antonella Branio - export manager
+39 345 7916385
Ortofrutticola Egnathia s.r.l.
C.da Losciale, 111
70043 Monopoli (BA) - Italy
+39 080 801140
www.missfreschezza.it
www.barattiapuliansensation.it
