“The last stretch of this citrus fruit campaign, which has been affected by various problems (fewer volumes, weather anomalies, drop in consumption) will be characterized by considerable prices due to the reduced availability of fruit. The pigmented variety campaign ended with demand exceeding the availability of our Tarcco Lempso, which is sold under the registered Fragolino® brand. We are now processing Tarocco Meli, which will be followed by the harvesting of the blond Lane Late variety until May," Lucio Oliveri, sole administrator of Motta Cooperativa Agricola.
"This year, there has been approximately a 30% drop in production compared to last year. The situation was made worse by the bad weather in early February, which damaged a lot of the produce that was almost ready for being harvested. Despite the lower volumes, prices at the start of the campaign were not thrilling due to the drop in consumption. The market recovered in mid-January after the holidays, also because the right ripening level of the fruits met the needs of consumers, who are always keen to purchase citrus fruit with a high sugar content."
In line with a trend that started during the pandemic, the company has strengthened its online presence through the www.arancedagustare.eu website, which works alongside the traditional channels.
"Our online sales are aimed at all those families who want the guarantee of having purchased fresh produce shipped just a few hours from harvesting. Direct sales help us have a personal relationship with final consumers with no intermediaries, which helps build trust between producers and consumers. Our professionalism and the quality of our services are certified by dozens of public figures who spontaneously post Instagram stories with the #arancedagustare hashtag. The celebrities who have purchased our fruits have never asked for one cent, so they must mention us because our oranges are good, and not out of interest."
Motta Cooperativa Agricola commercializes citrus fruit in Italy and abroad. Its pigmented varieties (Tarocco Lempso and Ippolito) are popular in northern Europe. Orders from abroad grow by 20% a year on average, especially in Switzerland, the UK, Germany, France, Sweden and the Netherland, which have a preference for untreated produce that is grown sustainably and respecting the environment."
The company history:
The company was set up in 2005 thanks to the initiative of 21 producers highly skilled in the cultivation and commercialization of citrus fruit, especially clementines, tangerines, Moro, Naveline, Sanguinello and Tarocco oranges. Groves cover 230 hectares in total in an area particularly suitable for the production of high-quality citrus fruit in the fertile Motta Sant'Anastasia plain(CT), between the sea and the foothills of Mount Etna.
For further information:
Motta Cooperativa Agricola
Lucio Oliveri
Via Policara
Motta S. Anastasia (CT) - Italy
(+39) 339 3249605
(+39) 095 8164035
[email protected]
www.aranciarossailfragolino.it