With the arrival of spring, the Spanish stone fruit season has kicked off with the earliest harvests. This year, due to the weather conditions during the winter months, that start has been delayed compared to previous campaigns.
"The cold weather in January and February caused a delay in the fruit's growth. However, the dry and warm weather in March has allowed an optimal ripening of the product, which is at its best now and ready for the harvest to start," said José Gandía Giner, president and founder of Royal.
"Volumes will be slightly lower than last season. Fortunately, we have not been affected by the occasional frosts that hit the earliest areas of Extremadura," he added.
The Seville-based company expects a start to the season with excellent quality fruit that will meet the market expectations, as well as the needs of consumers.
"Rather than seeking to be the first to supply stone fruit, which we achieve in certain campaigns, we are more focused on arriving earlier with fruit that is at its best for consumption, with a very good flavor, juiciness and color, since the fruit is expensive and the consumer expects a really good product. That's our slogan to the consumer: Farming for Flavor," said José Gandía.
"Our first yellow-fleshed peach varieties stand out for their aroma," says Royal's founder. "Yesterday, the first pieces arrived at the Rungis market in France, and also in Belgium, and they are already arriving to Germany, Italy and other European countries. Tomorrow there will be yellow-fleshed nectarines available, and next week we will also start with the peaches and white-fleshed nectarines, thereby achieving a spectacular mix of colors."
In the 2023 campaign, the Sevillian company announced it is going to boost the presence and volume of the exclusive Royal Sanguina nectarine, which was presented last year and aroused the interest of supermarkets in all European countries.
"This fruit is the result of the intense and outstanding work carried out by our company to obtain new varieties. Royal Sanguina is not a sub-acid variety, like most of the varieties we find in the markets. There are consumers looking for 'the taste of the past', which is different from the sub-acid, with a greater balance in terms of sweetness. We are answering a lot of questions about this variety, which is harvested between mid and late May, and of which we will have greater volumes this year, even though they are still limited."
"With this variety, we are bringing a fifth color to the category and living up to the slogan that goes on our packaging: 'Tradition for Innovation'. We are adding value to the stone fruit range and making the shelves of this segment more interesting. Many are selling it as a Limited Edition," said Gandía.
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