The harvest of Spanish Pink Lady apples was completed in November and the 2023/24 marketing season has already begun. "This year, despite the problems there have been with the water supply, the production on our farms in Girona will be normal, in line with that of previous years, and even somewhat greater," said Alex Creixell, CEO of Giropoma Costa Brava, a licensed producer of Pink Lady in the province. "Quality is also very good. Last year, high temperatures had an impact on the production and fruit sizes, but this year there has only been strong heat in July and August, so we are back to normal."
The Pink Lady brand is becoming increasingly popular and in demand in Spain, standing out in the apple segment, where fruit tends to be known by its own names. "The Pink Lady is recording significant annual growth. Despite the fact that fruit consumption in general has slowed down or dropped, the Pink Lady's quotas continue to grow and, in fact, there is always a lack of fruit to meet all the demand there is in Spain."
"We at Giropoma Costa Brava already grow about 170 hectares of Pink Lady and produce about 7.5 million kilos, and we expect our acreage to continue expanding in the coming years," says Alex, "because by producing a greater volume, we will be able to continue boosting the market share of Pink Lady."
And this may be extended to other kinds of apples, said Alex Creixell. "Spain only produces half of what is consumed, so the prospects for apples, the fruit in which we are specialists, are very good. In general, all our plantations are expanding, not just the Pink Lady ones, because we see that there is still room for the production of other varieties, as well as the PGI Poma de Girona apples, which are always in short supply."
"Girona is an area known throughout Spain and in international markets for the production of apples, and from here we export part of the 30 million kilos produced by Giropoma to the whole world, including destinations in the Persian Gulf or South America."
"As for prices, they are good, in general. They are higher than two years ago, but you have to take into account that costs have also gone up quite a bit. The energy factor, which in our sector is very important, has been the main cause for the cost increases. We alone have refrigerated facilities to store 26 million kilos of fruit," said Alex, "and the rise in prices has helped us meet all the expenses that we growers have been facing."
"Greengrocers account for a lot of the Pink Lady brand's market share"
Pink Lady apples are sold by all kinds of retailers, with the various sizes marketed under different formats and even under the Pink Kids brand, designed for the youngest consumers. "In Spain, we are present in supermarket chains, traditional markets and greengrocers; in fact, greengrocers account for a lot of the Pink Lady brand's market share, so we aim to continue growing in this segment."
"Great work is being done in the promotion and marketing of the variety, but success would not be possible without the quality and flavor of this unique apple," said Alex.
For more information:
Giropoma Costa Brava S.L.
Ctra. Torroella de Montgrí a Verges, km. 1,2
17140 Ullà, Girona, Spain
Tel.: +34 972 755 025
[email protected]
www.giropoma.com