"The medlar is our first fruit of spring before the apricot." Medlars have been the talk of social networks in recent years. As the head of Louis Rosario, Xavier Rosario markets this niche product from March to May. He talks about the production of this PDO-certified fruit grown in Alicante, and the difficulties encountered on the market.
Rosario, pioneer of the medlar in Europe
It was in the south of the Alicante province that Xavier's grandfather, Louis Rosario, founded the eponymous company in the 1960s, with the help of local farmers. He structured the production and marketing of Algar medlar fruit, creating the Ruchey agricultural cooperative. "My grandfather marketed the first medlars in Europe in the 60s and 70s, and production took off in the 80s and 2000s."
Medlars marketed under the brand Ruchey®
The medlar of Alicante often copied unsuccessfully
The medlar is grown in the province of Alicante, following the same path as the kaki fruit. "The market became saturated, not because production reached its peak but because former Alicante growers moved south to start their season earlier. They moved to Motril, but were unable to produce the Algar variety, opting instead for the American Golden Nugget. This additional supply would have saturated the market and it would have been detrimental to the Alicante medlar, the only medlar to hold a PDO. The early variety would have less flesh, larger stones and more importantly, less sugar. When we arrived on the market with the Ruchey® medlar, the orchards were already occupied by a much less interesting medlar variety in terms of taste. Beyond its organoleptic properties, our medlar is also positioned in the 'extra' category." The problem is that the Andalusian medlar is trying to capitalize on its cousin's reputation, even using visually identical packaging. "However, it is the Ruchey cooperative which developed this specially padded packaging to prevent shocks, as the medlar is a very fragile fruit."
Will this crop disappear in favor of avocados?
The problem of generational renewal in agriculture also affects the cultivation of medlars. "We see the same phenomenon every year. Only the older growers perpetuate the crop, while the younger generations go off to study in the big cities. Faced with the lack of manpower, many producers abandon their medlar crops in favor of avocados, which are less demanding in terms of time," explains Xavier. "As a result, production has fallen and prices have risen (PDO medlars are sold at 4-7 euros [4.3-7.6 USD] per kilo this year). This year, the medlar campaign also started almost a month ahead of schedule, "a first in 30 years!"
For more information:
Xavier Rosario
Louis Rosario Sarl
Phone: +33 (0) 4 68 68 33 11
[email protected]
www.louisrosario.com