The Fragolà strawberry harvest started 10 days ago and will continue into autumn. It is a brand of the Italian Kingfruit and the strawberries are grown in substrate, which guarantees a constant production and a constant quality. They are truly highland strawberries, as cultivation takes place at an altitude of 1,200 metres. Fragolà is valued for its aroma, flavour and brix value. The variety used is the repeat-flowering Murano.
"The project, which is exactly 10 years old, has proven to be a successful one. We are located near Mount Lessinia and the significant temperature difference between day and night allows us to grow strawberries with firm and crisp flesh. Our strawberry has found its natural habitat in the Fragolà Park, which also has an important role in tourism," said Massimo Ceradini, CEO of Kingfruit.
Growing them in substrate was a choice mainly motivated by a commitment to sustainability and the desire to reduce waste.
"Thanks to this technique, we have been able to reduce the use of soil, but especially the amount of water, with an average annual saving of 20%. All this without affecting the productivity of the plants or the characteristics of the strawberries. In fact, mountain strawberries have a higher sugar content than those from the lowlands. Moreover, in recent years we have received increasingly positive feedback about their longer shelf life."
"The late strawberry variety is one of our key strengths, as it enables us to offer the crop out of season. This is the period when consumers are convinced that they can no longer find high-quality strawberries, but this is possible thanks to our crops."
Massimo Ceradini
The greenhouse in Fragolà Park is used not only for the research and development of new varieties, but also for the rainwater recovery systems, for the drainage of seeped nutrient solutions not absorbed by the plants, and for maintaining the microclimate in the plants.
"The aim is not to increase quantity, but to improve quality and extend the season. In this way, we will get a healthier, more nutritious, sustainable strawberry. We are in the process of transforming an open-cycle growing system to a closed-cycle system. Significant investments are planned for this project, which is now in the evaluation phase, but it is expected that this will ensure that we can work entirely organically," concluded Ceradini.
For more information:
Massimo Ceradini
Kingfruit
+39 045 8510268
[email protected]
www.ceradinigroup.com