FROUTONEA_UK_NOVEMBER21

November 2021 Special edition of froutonea magazine



>KIWIS

REVERSAL OF THE TRADE LANDSCAPE?

>STRAWBERRIES
THE BAD WEATHER MESSES UP THE PLANTING SEASON

>CITRUS

FAVORABLE OMENS FOR THE NEW SEASON


























































www.froutonea.gr





Kefalinias 6 | 183 45 Moschato
Athens - Greece
Τ +30 210 4812212
F +30 210 4827089

[email protected]
www.froutonea.gr

Ownership
G. Orfanou & Co
Editor-Manager
Panagiotis Orfanos
Editor staff
Anna Makrigiorgou
Fotis Karampetsos
DTP
Yiorgos Vergouliades
Cover design
Aris Betchavas
Subscriptions
Christina Andreakou



ADVERTISED COMPANIES



COMPANY PAGE



MENELAOS 2ND COVER
TEX 1
MSC 3 In this issue
FRESKON 7
DOLE 9 Apples: Problems from the rainfalls-Decreased sales.
FRESCON MARKET 11
KIKU 15 Citrus: Less Navelinas compared to last year
HELLAGRO 20
in Argolida. Similar to last year the new clementine
crop.


VOG: New Marlene® campaign dedicated
to the 4 seasons presented to the Spanish public.



4 PRODUCTS






































ÒCitrus




FAVORABLE OMENS FOR THE NEW SEASON



A new citrus season is about to begin and the optimism is intense, as the fruits’ quality seems to be pretty
well at the moment, while the demand coming from the European markets is very interesting.


We are passing through the second fort- to agronomists, this reduction has to do
night of October and the Greek citrus sec- with the spring frosts, which they affect-
tor is being prepared for the start of the ed the blooming, but also to the Navelina’s
new season, as at the end of this month is character, as when this variety gets older
beginning the harvest of Navelina from the than 15 years, turns to give high and low
earliest estates. Let’s see how the situa- Despite the problems production alternately.
tion has in the different citrus types. that do exist, (lack of Reduced is the production and in east-

konia, but in this case the reduction fluc-
Oranges: As it seems, the initial fore- workers, increased packaging ern Peoloponnisos, i.e. in Argolida and La-
casts that were talking about reduced Na- costs and increased transport tuates at levels between 20% and 25%,
velina volume this year will be verified. Es- which is considered as normal.
pecially in the Aitoloakarnania prefecture, costs) it seems that the new As for the Merlin variety, the volume of
the reduction in this variety seems to be season for all citrus fruits its production will range round the last
very big, while the same image comes and year’s levels, showing a light reduction,
from other productive regions of western will run smoothly, unless about 10-15%. Let us mention here that
Greece as well, like Ilia and Arta. People the weather holds some this variety is a “treasure” for the Greek
that are well aware of the proceedings in surprises citrus sector and those producers that
these areas mention that it’s for sure that substitute it with other varieties or other
the volume reduction in Navelina is great- citrus are not acting wisely.
er than 30% of a regular production, while Regarding the Lane Late oranges, there
they do not object the possibility the vol- are only pleasant news, as all the estima-
ume reduction to reach the 50%. According tions agree that the production volume of



NOVEMBER 2021

this variety will be increased this year and and Igoumenitsa, while in Argolida the re-
these estimations are based on the fact duction will be about 20%.
that every year new orchards in Aitoloa- Lower will be also the Nova variety pro-
karnania render production. But let’s keep duction, but here the reduction will be only
low our expectations about the exact fi- of 15%. Finally it is clear that reduced will
nal volume, because it is known that the be also the late Ortanique mandarins. The
young trees do not render many fruits. So, reason does not only lie on the spring frost
as we believe, it is after 3-4 years that we damages, but also on the fact that ma-
will dispose a remarkable volume in this ny growers have proceeded farm reforms,
variety. changing their Ortanique trees to Valencia.
Finally, increased will be the volume of
the Valencia variety compared to last year, Lemons: The lemons are not excluded
but it is for sure that the volume will be by the reduced volume of the new Greek
lower than the regular. Thanks to the autumn rains citrus season. So, according to people from
and the lower production, Aigialeia, it is estimated that the reduction
Mandarins: The harvest in the few sat- will be higher than 20%. On the other hand,
suma and clauselina mandarins that are it is expected that the fruits there is a prospect for not so great reduc-
cultivated in Greece has already started of all the species and all the tion, because it seems that this year the
and the few quantities are absorbed by the fruits big calibers will be majority.
internal market, while their commercial varieties will have very good
course ends when the clementine manda- calibers. No problems that The quality of the production
rins appear. The citrus belong to the few Greek fruits
The news that we receive about the de- have to do with the fruits’ that were benefited so much from the Oc-
velopment of the production volume in quality have been observed tober rains. Especially in the area of Ka-
clementine variety is no good, as everyone tochi in Aitoloakarnania, there were 6.500
esteems that the new crop will be reduced. Ha with citrus that had reached their lim-
Furthermore, merchants assess that this its, because the electricity company that
reduction will be greater than 30% in Arta provides energy to the local irrigation sys-















































NOVEMBER 2021

6 PRODUCTS








Regarding the Lane Late
oranges, there are only
pleasant news, as all
the estimations agree that
the production volume
of this variety will be

increased this year and these
estimations are based on
the fact that every year new
orchards in Aitoloakarnania
tem had cut the supply due to debts of the aged and getting even a small added val-
local water management organization. So ue at their place of production, but also the render production
the rains seemed like God’s gift. falsified documents that accompany these
So concluding, thanks to the autumn goods.
rains and the lower production, it is ex- Some say that this issue may be solved
pected that the fruits of all the species and with electronic invoices, but we do not be- Concluding
all the varieties will have very good cali- lieve that this will happen, as people will
bers. No problems that have to do with the find a new way to evade taxes. This issue
fruits’ quality have been observed. Thus, will be resolved, if are established and im- According to the reportage,
we can say that the new citrus season is plemented rules that will clarify the con- we see that this year the
characterized by good quality products. ditions under which one can export fresh production volume is reduced
fruits and vegetables. in almost all species and as
What is going to be with the a result of this the commercial
workers? The commercial course course in Navelina and Merlin
The thorn at the smooth harvest this The demand for citrus fruits from all our will end quite early and the
year seems to be the farm workers as traditional customers is quite interesting harvest of the mid-late Lane
there is a terrible shortage in all areas. In so far. We estimate that the absorption
fact, as it happened in Skala, Lakonia, due does not have to face any particular diffi- Late variety will start in
to lack of workers during the Valencia har- culties this year and the only “thorn” in the mid-February and the
vest, the orders could not be executed. commercial course of the product may be Valencia variety in April.
Of course, the “contractors” of the work- the increased packaging costs, as the pric- The same thing will happen
ers did not let the opportunity to go wast- es of almost all packaging materials have to the mandarins, that is,
ed and raised the cost of harvesting. We increased and, thus, necessarily the pack- by mid-January in the
expect similar developments in the harvest ers will pass on the cost to the customers. clementine and nova varieties
of the new crop, which coincides with the But will the market accept this? Our will be completed! Finally, as for
harvest of kiwis and the picking of olives. point of view is that it will accept it as the the producer´s prices, they will
Through the pages of our magazine Spaniards face the same problem. On the be slightly higher this year than
we have raised many times the issue of other hand, the Turks have a significant last year, but at the beginning
“farm workers” and if no immediate solu- advantage, due to the great devaluation of they will be clearly lower than
tion is found for the housing and the ad- the Turkish currency against the euro. the corresponding period last
equacy of labor power, then it has no val- Another parameter in the “price war” is year. In other words, we see
ue to deal with the rest of issues related to the transport costs, as fares have risen a that despite the problems
crops. One way or another, a solution can lot and we do not know at this time wheth- that do exist, (lack of workers,
be found this year and the harvest can be er this development will affect the smooth increased packaging costs and
collected, but the issue of “farm workers” absorption of citrus. increased transport costs)
will remain for us. So this year is quite interesting from a it seems that the new season
There is also the unfair trade commercial point of view and we wish it to for all citrus fruits will run
We are tired of writing about the situ- be profitable for everyone. smoothly, unless the weather
ation with the products that are exported Τ.Ο. holds some surprises.
directly from the field without being pack-




NOVEMBER 2021



8 INTERVIEW

























KOSTAS LEVENTOGIANNIS “NAVALINAS ARE LESS THIS YEAR

OWNER
WHEREAS CLIMENTINES STAND AT THE SAME
OF LEVENTOGIANNIS D. & K. Ο.Ε.


Mr. Leventogiannis, what is the situ- LEVELS AS LAST YEAR”
ation in the estates of Argolida at the
beginning of the new citrus season?
The oranges and tangerines to be ex- The season of citrus in the area of Argolida is good, with the
ported are ready for harvest. The start fruits acquiring good quality and size and the harvest starting
date for navalines and new halls is Octo-
ber 25th, while for clementines it is Oc- without problems. Now the focus is on the commercial field, with
tober 20th. Of course, some clauses have the new season hiding its own puzzles.
been cut for several days now, but we are
talking about small quantities that only
concern the internal market. In general, we plan to work with tanger-
ines until the end of February and oranges
What quantity and quality do you ex- until the beginning of June.
pect this year for navalins and clem-
entines? The sales of Greek oranges, Do you have any estimates for the new
Argetic navalins should be less this year, season?
by 10-15%, but there will be enough prod- which are widely made It seems that another good year will be
uct to make the transition to the harvest in Eastern Europe, will repeated for the clementines. Their quality
of the Merlin variety, which is normally depend a lot this year is good, while in Spain there is a decrease
expected to start on December 10, to be in production for early varieties of manda-
smooth and on time. on what the Spaniards rins and, so far at least, poor fruit quality.
On the other hand, the toning of clem- will choose to turn to.
entines will be at last year’s levels, while Finally, what do you have to say about
the quality for both oranges and tangerines In other words, if this year’s the orange season?
is excellent and it seems that this year we high shipping costs prevent The sales of Greek oranges, which are
will have large sizes. widely made in Eastern Europe, will depend
them from shipping their a lot this year on what the Spaniards will
What will the trade of citrus be this products to Canada, it is very choose to turn to. In other words, if Span-
year? ish exporters are prevented from sending
We will be on the market from the begin- likely that they will direct products to Canada by this year’s high ship-
ning of the season, serving even the most them to the markets ping costs, it is very likely that they will turn
“early” orders. Of course, we have ensured to the markets in which we operate. Final-
that we are ready for the intensity of de- in which we operate ly, we must keep in mind that the cost of
mand in November and from November packaging and standardization of oranges
15-20 we will distribute a large volume of and tangerines will be increased by at least
products. 7-10 cents per kilo this year.



NOVEMBER 2021



10 INTERVIEW

GIANNIS

AND SPYROS TAMPAKIS

OWNERS
OF “TABAKIS FRESH” COMPANY





ly concerns only the first fruits of the sea-
son and moving on in November we will
get fruits with normal sizes.

Was the amount of fruit affected? In
general, what volume of orange pro-
duction can we expect from Etoloakar-
nania?
The amount in both navelins and clem-
entines is expected to be reduced by 20-
“THE PRODUCTION OF NAVALINA 25% compared to last year, but was not
affected by water availability. In general,
AND KLIMENTINA IN ETOLOKARNANIA most estates have reduced and late pro-
duction. Otherwise, when the navalins are
finished, around the middle of January, the
IS REDUCED BY 20-25%” harvest of Lane Late oranges will begin.
The production of these oranges will be
increased as, regardless of whether they
have good or bad bindings, there are many
Giannis and Spyros Tampakis, owners of “Tampakis Fresh” new estates that are entering production.
company talk about the beginning of the citrus season and how
the situation is developing in the estates of Etoloakarnania. How is your company’s business cal-
endar structured this year?
We have been in the market since the
Mr. Giannis and Mr. Spyros Tampakis, The production of orange beginning of the season with the first Caf-
when does the harvest of oranges and fin tangerines and our commercial activi-
mandarins of Etoloakarnania begin? Lane Late will be increased ty utilizes to the maximum the productive
In Etoloakarnania we start first with this year as, regardless yield of the region. Thus, from the begin-
small quantities of Caffin mandarins and ning of November, when the local harvest
clementines at the end of October. Howev- of whether they have good intensifies, we enter a phase of intensity
er, the arrival of November is what brings or bad bindings, there are of our commercial activities and remain on
the intensity of the harvest for clemen- the market until April.
tines, which are the main variety. As for the many new estates that are
oranges, their harvest will also start in No- entering production However, your company also has
vember with the navalins. some special suggestions for seedless
tangerines.
The area of Etoloakarnania was left with- Of course, this is the extremely tasty
out irrigation water at a critical stage of Murcott variety, which we grow in a green-
citrus development. Finally, how much house, in order to avoid cross-pollination
was the fruit growth affected? with other varieties that causes the forma-
Indeed, the interruption of irrigation wa- tion of stones.
ter concerned several thousand acres and So this year, we will harvest 25-30 tons
occurred at a time when the fruits needed of Murcott seedless mandarins in March,
water to gain size. Fortunately, in the in- while next year we will extend the network
terval between the cessation and the start application to another 800 trees. Finally,
of the harvest, a considerable amount of let me note that our production in Murcott
rain fell and the problem of fruit growth is bought from the supermarkets My Mar-
was overcome and corrected for the most ket, while other large retail chains have
part. I would say that the microcarp final- approached us for the same tangerines.



NOVEMBER 2021



12 PRODUCTS








ÒKiwis





DIFFICULTIES DUE TOP RAINFALLS




Problems were caused by the continuous rains of October in the cultivation of kiwi and it seems that the
commerce of the product is going to be overturned!



We are going through week 41 of the
year and the continuous and heavy rains
that occurred in the first fortnight of Octo-
ber caused many problems in the cultiva-
tion of kiwi!
Specifically, as experts say, many culti-
vars have been flooded by the rainfalls and
despite the efforts of producers, the ar-
eas are covered with water causing dam-
age to plants and therefore it may degrade
the quality of fruit! Of course, the situa-
tion regarding the quality of the fruits will
be re-evaluated when the rains stop and
the necessary work can be done on the es-
tates, but even if there are some cultivars
in the areas that received a lot of rain, they
will have quality problems.
…other problems
The closer we get to the harvest, the
clearer the landscape in terms of fruit
quality is! According to professionals of the
sector, in addition to the problems caused
by the heavy rains in October, it seems
that the summer heat also left its mark
on the quality of the fruits, as in many ar-
eas the producers did not have enough wa-
ter to irrigate the plants in the summer, as
a result of which the percentages are in-
creased this year in small sizes, but also
in flats and butterflies. But apart from the
heat, quality problems have been noted in
many estates and the spring frost, as the ty of the fruits differs from region to region with producer prices ranging from 80 cents
producers did not take the necessary crop and from estate to estate! to 1.20 for those estates that have excel-
care. lent quality fruits.
Of course, in a production of 300,000 The commercial setting However, after the continuous rains,
tons that is spread throughout almost all Most Greek traders are on standby and these traders proceeded both in Pyrgetos
of Northern Greece, it is not possible that a few have concluded trade agreements and in other areas, to renegotiate the price
there are no estates with very good quality with producers! These few agreements with the producers. In fact, as it turns out,
fruits and this is indeed the case. In other that have been concluded mainly concern in other areas the commercial climate has
words, we observe that this year the quali- estates located in the area of Pyrgetos begun to change and many producers have



NOVEMBER 2021

abandoned the unstoppable attitude they
have had so far and accept to sit at the ta-
ble with traders to discuss, regardless of
whether agreements are made. Of course
all this will be clarified when the rains stop
as then the quality of the fruits that each
estate has will be evaluated and then the
prices will come out. It should be noted
here that apart from the Greek traders, the
Italian ones are also on hold, as it seems
that they are not willing to pay for the ki-
wis this year 1 euro/kilo requested by the
producers.

The harvest
The official beginning of the harvest is
estimated to be close to October 25 and
everyone wishes the weather is good with
no problems. Of course, the producers and
traders worry about the lack of labor and it
is not excluded due to this fact to extend prices which may reach 30-40 minutes, ie
the harvest time, thus directly affecting the in the kiwis of the highest quality category
commercial course of the product, while it the axis will be 90 minutes with 5% fluctu-
is possible to increase the cost of harvest, ation, and in low quality the axis will be the
as well as the daily wage of land workers 60 minutes with 10% fluctuation. It should
will probably increase from this winter! Traders from all over the also be noted here that at this time most

The markets world are currently asking traffickers are oriented to buy fewer quan-
tities this year, but this, it seems, will ul-
Traders from all over the world are cur- their Greek partners to send timately depend on producer prices. That
rently asking their Greek partners to send is, if these are formed at last year’s levels,
them offers, as producer prices are still be- them offers, as producer then the traffickers will probably review
ing adjusted! This issue, the producer pric- prices are still being adjusted! their policy and buy as many kiwis as they
es, will probably be clarified in the 43rd bought last year!
week, thus putting an end to this sto-
ry that started 2 months ago and grew
through social networks, endangering the Concluding
season and mortgaging its future.
money is lost until the situation balances. The weather conditions that will
The costs And in this day and age no one wants to prevail during the harvest stage,
Another factor that may significantly af- lose money! the lack of labor, the increased
fect the smooth absorption of kiwi has to storage and packaging costs,
do with the cost of transport, which has The next period combined with the high demands
skyrocketed this year, but also with the The developments of the first two weeks of the producers, create this year
cost of packaging, as in many packaging of October, in combination with what we an explosive cocktail that en-
materials prices have risen significantly. mentioned about the increased costs, dangers the smooth commercial
Close to these we must even add the cost seem to change the shopping scene in part course of kiwi. But the market al-
of electricity, which in turn will significantly and now another climate is beginning to ways has its own laws and which
burden the storage of products. form in the production places, which has are the ones that dominate in the
In other words, we see that this year we placed the quality of the fruits high on the
have increased producer prices, increased agenda. . So it is likely that this year we will end and we see that this will hap-
costs of harvesting, storage, packaging, see a clear division into quality categories, pen this year as well. It may take
and transportation. All this if nothing else and consequently producer prices. That is, a while for this balance to come
causes a concern in the market and as it we will have the upper quality class, the but it will. In closing, we wish ev-
is known when the market is «anxious» middle quality class, and the lower class. eryone a profitable year too!
then sometimes there are «accidents» and In this way there will be a wide range of



NOVEMBER 2021

14 REPORTAGE







MEDITERRANEAN COMBO PRESS EVENT
WE CHOOSE EUROPEAN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES OF HIGH QUALITY



The event highlighted the important role of fresh products, and especially the Cretan vegetables and
the Spanish kaki fruit, in a balanced and healthy diet, while it was emphasized the fact that the Euro-
pean consumers choose the promoted products for their nutritional value and for their taste, as well as
for their excellent quality and safety characteristics, required by the European legislation.


tan vegetables and the Spanish kaki fruit,
in a balanced and healthy diet, while it
was emphasized the fact that the Europe-
an consumers choose the promoted prod-
ucts for their nutritional value and for their
taste, as well as for their excellent quality
and safety characteristics, required by the
European legislation.
Of great importance was the presence
of the distinguished dietitian-nutritionist
Mr. Zoumpaneas Evangelos, who empha-
sized the value of fruits and vegetables in
our daily diet.
The event was greeted by Ms. Aposto-
laki Eleni, Head of the Agricultural Prod-
ucts Promotion Department of the Ministry
of Agriculture. In addition, the event was
On Monday, October 11th, 2021, at the event attended the General Manager Mr. honored by the presence of, among others,
Divani Palace Acropolis Hotel, in the cen- Tamparopoulos Athanasios and the Head Ms. Georgiopoulou Tania from Kathimerini,
ter of Athens, a Press Event has been of Information and Promotion projects Mr. Sourovelis Pavlos from the Free Press,
held in the context of the program “In- Mrs. Nalmpanti Maria from the NOVACERT Mr. Orfanos Takis from Froutonea, Mr. Pa-
formation provision and promotion mea- company, which in collaboration with the nagos Giannis from Agrenda, the executive
sures on fruits and vegetables in the in- Italian BLANCDENOIR company. chef Mr. Fotiadis Nikos from Slow Food, as
ternal market of EU”, with the distinctive well as other press representatives from
title MEDITERRANEAN COMBO, imple- Nutritional value and exceptional the largest Greek information networks,
mented by seven Producers Organizations taste journalists of gastronomy, health - well-
from Greece and the Spanish Association The event highlighted the important role ness magazines and many professionals in
of Kaki from Spain. During the event, the of fresh products, and especially the Cre- the field of nutrition.
audience was informed about the safety,
quality and nutritional value of fresh veg-
etables and the kaki fruit produced in Eu- The profile of MEDITERRANEAN COMBO
rope, as well as about the strict European
protocols applied by regarding the quality The three-year program “Information provision and promotion measures on
and safety of food. fruits and vegetables in the internal market of EU», with the distinctive title
From the side of the beneficiaries of the MEDITERRANEAN COMBO, is implemented by the Agricultural Cooperative
program, the event attended by the repre- «Anatoli» - Ierapetra Crete as the leading partner and as coordinator, and
sentative of the Agricultural Cooperative the Agricultural Cooperative Tympaki, the Agricultural Cooperative for the
“Anatoli” - Ierapetra Crete Mr. Douloumis Production and Trade of early vegetables of Ierapetra NOTOS, the Agricultural
Xenofon, the president of the Agricultur- Producers Association of Horticultural Kountoura, the Group of Agricultural
al of Producers Association Horticultur- Producers Falasarna Kompogennitakis and CO, the Agricultural Cooperative
al Kountoura Mr. Chalkias Georgios, and Psaris, the Agricultural Cooperative Kamiros, and the Spanish Association of
the president of the Spanish Association Kaki as beneficiaries. The implementing Body is the Greek company NOVACERT
of Kaki Mr. Pascual Prats. In addition the LTD in cooperation with the Italian company BLANCDENOIR.




NOVEMBER 2021



16 PRODUCTS






ÒApples






PROBLEMS FROM THE RAINFALLS - DECREASED SALES



Problems can arise from the October rains on apples that have not yet been harvested, although this
will be clarified when the rains stop and the harvest begins.


We have entered the second fortnight
of October, and the many and continuous
rains that occurred in the previous peri-
od concern the producers, who for various
reasons had not yet completed the harvest
of their red apples. The quantities were not
negligible and are mainly found in very
mountainous areas. The producers’ fear is
that, due to the heavy rain, the fruits may
be affected negatively and will be degrad-
ed in quality.
Apart from the red apples, however,
there is also fear that the quality of the
fruits will deteriorate in the fuji variety, in
which the main volume has not yet been
collected, while for the green apples, the
harvest of which is expected to start af-
ter October 15, there is no visible danger
at present. The only concern for green ap-
ple growers is that many farms have been
affected by the fruit fly, and this is indeed a careful in terms of the quality of the cargo!
serious problem.
Poland is scared
The situation The large production in Poland is cur-
As we mentioned in our previous issues, The volume of production of rently causing fear, not only in the Greek
the volume of production of apples of the apples of the highest quality apple sector but also in the Italian one, and
highest quality category is significantly re- this is because the Polish traders are un-
duced this year, but also in the middle qual- category is significantly der pressure from the large volume of this
ity category there is a significant decrease, reduced this year, but also in year’s production.
as the area of Kastoria, which is the big Of course, this situation with Polish pro-
«reservoir» for this quality category, saw the middle quality category duction is not unprecedented, as in the
this year its production to be reduced by there is a significant decrease past there were some similar seasons.
about 50% compared to a normal year. On With the right trade policy, however, these
the contrary, the volume of the low quali- obstacles can be overcome and the mar-
ty category is quite high, as we have to add ket to get normalized in mid-November.
to it those quantities that have been hit by We estimate that this will happen again
the hail and which are not few. this year.
These quantities are mostly absorbed by It should be noted here that in October,
Egypt, but this large market significantly the Jordan market opened its gates for the
reduced its imports in the first fortnight of the shipments to Egypt will be normalized Greek apples and, thus, another commer-
October as large quantities of apples had within October, but at the same time they cial destination, with increasing dynamics,
accumulated in it. Merchants that are well emphasize that the Greek traders that do is present for them.
aware of with this market estimate that business in this country should be very T.O.



NOVEMBER 2021

VOG AT FRUIT ATTRACTION 2021



Early season results of the South Tyrolean Consortium at the Madrid trade show. New Marlene®
campaign dedicated to the 4 seasons also presented to the Spanish public.


There were plenty of positives to be
drawn from the VOG Consortium’s partic-
ipation at Fruit Attraction the important
international fruit and vegetable industry
trade show held in Madrid from 5 to 7 Oc-
tober. After the exclusively digital version
of the show held last year as a result of
the pandemic, this year the pavilions of IF-
EMA once again welcomed exhibitors and
visitors in person in what was an import-
ant sign of recovery for the entire industry.
“We were really happy to be back in Ma-
drid for Fruit Attraction, a key trade show
for us because it enables us to present all
of our latest products and solutions for
the new sales season to lots of interna-
tional buyers and the industry press” ex- sons, with a new video dedicated to the
plains Walter Pardatscher, CEO of VOG. Daughter of the Alps apple. First present-
The Spanish market is very important for ed at the Venice Biennale, the commer-
us, the Marlene ® brand is very successful cial was first aired on 22 September and
and popular with consumers in this coun- is broadcast in Spain, Italy, Malta and Cy-
try, in fact it is the best known brand in the prus, both on TV and at the cinema. The 4 One of the new developments
entire fruit and vegetable sector.
seasons theme is also the focus of an in- that the Consortium
tense media campaign involving the Out Of
Smooth proceeding of the harvest Home, Adv and Digital channels. illustrated to visitors at its
Fruit Attraction was an opportunity for “The new commercial has also been well stand was the new Marlene ®
the VOG Consortium to draw its first con- received here in Spain, a very important
clusions on the start of the new apple sea- market for our apples comments Hannes communication campaign on
son: We are right in the middle of the har- Tauber marketing manager of the VOG the theme of the 4 seasons,
vest at the moment and after finishing with Consortium. The commercial expresses the
the Gala, which opened the season in mid Marlene ® universe through sounds and with a new video dedicated
August, we are now proceeding with other images recorded over an entire year, and to the Daughter of the Alps
varieties like Golden Delicious, Stark, Gran- is creatively produced with an innovative
ny Smith and Kanzi ® explains Klaus Höl- cinematic style. It shows how the intensi- apple
zl VOG sales manager. The overall quality ty of the seasons in our apple orchards cre-
is certainly very good. As for the start of ate the ideal climatic conditions for bring-
the campaign, feedback has been very pos- ing out the best of all our varieties of blue
itive and distribution has been very dynam- sticker apples.
ic from the off in all of the main markets. In Madrid the VOG Consortium also illus-
Sales are proceeding smoothly and all the trated the characteristics of the three new
signs point towards a positive first part of apples presented back in January: Red Pop very interesting feedback: the reaction to
the season”. ® Giga ® and Cosmic Crisp ®. Planned for the flavour of these new apples was very
One of the new developments that the the second part of the season, these pre- positive in all channels concludes Walter
Consortium illustrated to visitors at its mium varieties stand out for their highly Pardatscher We are very optimistic for next
stand was the new Marlene ® communica- distinctive qualities.“ The first tests car- season which will see the apples produced
tion campaign on the theme of the 4 sea-
ried out last season provided us with some in greater volumes”.



NOVEMBER 2021

18 PRODUCTS





KISSABEL®
THE ORANGE AND JAUNE SEASON KICKS OFF ties for Kissabel®, such as boxes contain-
ing various ingredients in order to create
recipes with apples from this range. We
IN THE UK, FRANCE AND SWITZERLAND will also sponsor the National Fruit Show
where we will have a stand with these two
varieties, which are flagships for us”.
In France expectations are high for the
The second year of sales of red-flesh apples for the European part- new Kissabel® season. “We have start-
ners of the Ifored project starts with the yellow and orange varieties. ed the harvest and, although the apples
are smaller compared to the previous two



























The apple Kissabel® Jaune The apple Kissabel® Orange

seasons, they have developed a more in-
With the first harvest of the Jaune and Excited merchants tense colour and the production, in terms
Orange varieties in the second half of Sep- “The Orange harvest started in the sec- of quantity, is excellent, with a forecast of
tember, the Kissabel® apple season is ond half of September, while the Jaune around 600 tonnes in total,” reports Marc
kicking off for the partners of the Ifored harvest began in early October. We are Peyres, Export Sales Manager at Blue
project in the Northern hemisphere. Swit- growing alongside the production, which Whale. “For the coming months we are
zerland, France and the UK have experi- is high-quality despite the small tempera- preparing promotions and competitions
enced the same summer 2021 climate, ture differences between day and night of connected to Halloween. Our customers
with low rainfall and colder temperatures, the last few months, a factor that could are responding wonderfully to the Kiss-
resulting in increased flesh colour devel- compromise the sweetness and develop- abel® apples. We will soon have the red
opment of Jaune and Orange varieties ment of their characteristic colour,” com- pulp varieties, which are perfect for grow-
and even impacting the size of the apples, ments Anna Coxe, Head of Technical and ing in the South of France, expanding our
which are smaller than last year. Quali- Quality at Greenyard. “We are once again range.”
ty remains high, along with the interest of ready to take Kissabel® apples to all our “We have shipped the first pallets of the
customers and consumers in this variety, customers and distributors in the UK”. season to our customers, who are look-
which has been boosted by targeted mar- “We have started to harvest Kissabel® ing forward to bringing them to wholesale
keting campaigns. Jaune and the colouring is exceptional. markets and large-scale retailers,” com-
Kissabel® Orange and Kissabel® Jaune Even though the majority of our orchards ments François Mestre, co-manager of
are two coloured-flesh apple varieties of- are only two years old and therefore pro- Mesfruits. “We are also planning to export
fered in Europe by the partners of the If- duce a relatively small quantity, we have some pallets to the United Kingdom, which
ored project. The first has orange/pink skin land that we have been working for four will be distributed by Tesco and M&S. In
pigmentation, deep pink pulp and a fresh, years and expect a yield of 40 tonnes per France there will be promotions in Lyon
tasty flavour, while the second features hectare,” remarks Hannah Martin, Com- with Leclerc and, subsequently, through
yellow skin, pink flesh and a balanced mercial Director at Worldwide Fruit. “We the Système U supermarket chain.”
taste. have planned specific marketing activi-


NOVEMBER 2021

ÒStrawberries





THE PLANTATION CALENDAR WAS MESSED UP BY THE WEATHER



The continuous rains of October stole valuable time from the planting process, while the humid-
ity that surrounds the already planted strawberrues, causes great concern for the final state of
production.


We are in the middle of October and
these days the planting of victory and ca-
marosa varieties, as well as other medium
ripening and late strawberries should nor-
mally be realized at full pace. However, the
weather in Manolada has “opposite point
of view” and has completely overturned
the planning of the sector in both the ag-
ricultural and commercial part.

Paralysis of work
First of all, what prevails in Manolada al-
most throughout October until the middle
of the month is continuous rainfall, which
has paralyzed the planting work. According
to what professionals from the area men-
tion in Froutonea, only few victory plants
managed to be placed in greenhouses, but
also in the few outdoor estates around Oc- The reversal of the planting as well as its quality and durability. Also,
tober 5-7, as from those dates onwards, the date of its harvest beginning seems to
the weather raises an inaccessible “wall”. plan of the victory variety, go later. In fact, producers say that it will
Now, based on the weather forecast, it can delay its harvest up to not start before mid-November.
is considered as a fact that the plantings
of the victory variety are postponed for a month, while the harvest Increased production costs
at least October 19-20. Of course, we are of the fortuna variety is The production cost of strawberries has
talking about the loss of valuable time and also been increased, with industry profes-
according to the estimates of the produc- postponed to mid-November, sionals reporting that plants, fertilizers,
ers, this can delay the harvest beginning with strong concerns about medicines, greenhouse construction and
up to a month. We must not forget that fruit packaging materials have all become
the victory variety is the “heavy artillery” the effect of humidity on the more expensive. Specifically, it is estimat-
of the Greek strawberry industry, as it ac- final state of its production ed that this year’s production costs are in-
counts over 2/3 of the total production. creased by 20-30% compared to last year.
Last but not least, the problem of labor
Concern for fortuna shortages and costs is particularly acute
However, it is not only the paralysis of this year, as the workers who worked on
the planting operations that gives Mano- the strawberry have left Manolada to work
lada producers a strong headache. The in- in other regions, in other sectors, or in oth-
tense humidity that surrounds the already er European countries. The mismatch to
planted strawberries of the fortuna variety, the needs of production at its given stage
which occupies about 20% of the total pro- is already evident, but the point is that
duction, raises great concerns about the fi- no solution has yet been found for March,
nal production that this variety will yield, when the needs for labor are multiplying.




NOVEMBER 2021