"The harvesting of goji berries has officially started and we are expecting production to increase this year. Volumes are still low at the moment, but production will peak in around twenty days' time," explains Dario De Lisi, sales manager at Masseria Fruttirossi.
"This year, we have planted another 4 hectares, thus reaching 15 hectares in total. The production calendar of this fruit usually starts in late June and ends mid-September. This year, however, the bad weather in Spring has meant harvesting was delayed by over 10 days. At the moment, our crops are in perfect health and the weather is excellent."
"Drying operations will start next week. At the moment, the produce is sold fresh. We worked on special promotions directly with retail chains and entrusted the sales office at B&B Frutta from Verona with commercialization. Our fresh goji berries are available in 80 gr punnets, while dried ones are available in 40 and 120 gr sachets. The H&R sector has also shown interest."
"Goji berries are a niche product but, at the same time, it is a relatively new fruit for the domestic market, as many often only know the dried type. Due to dubious management and to the presence of residues, there have been complaints and, in some cases, products have even been withdrawn from the market. The lack of guarantees on the quality and provenance of the imported produce has led to people losing their interest towards it. However, as our own produce is grown in Italy, we aim at re-sparking the interest for this extraordinary berry."
"Goji berries don't have a very long shelf-life (approx. 7 days) and require a lot of labor. At harvesting time, workers must visit the fields every day to pick the single berries. We are talking about thousands of berries and an average of 6-7 kg a day per worker."
"In addition to supplying fresh and dried berries, in the future we are looking to use them to make juice, just as we do with pomegranates. Our juices are sold under the Lome Super Fruit brand."
Contacts: 
Masseria Fruttirossi Lome Super Fruit
C.da Terzo Dieci snc
74011 Castellaneta - Taranto - Italy
Tel: (+39) 099 9647688
Email: [email protected]
Website: lomesuperfruit.com
B&B Frutta Srl
Via Cà di Capri, 107
37012 Bussolengo (VR)
Tel.: (+39) 045.6717639
Email: [email protected]
Website: beb-frutta.com