With the arrival of the first yellow onions in week 20, this year's marketing season for Italian onions has officially kicked off. "Unlike last year, where we could only save a fraction, about 30 percent, of the total harvest volume, the signs for this season are particularly good. The first arrivals attest to good quality, and we can already supply the retail sector with the desired calibers 40/60 and 50/70. Larger onions (70+) for the gastronomy and bulk consumer sectors will arrive shortly, closely followed by red onions starting early June," explains Daniel Voll, a long-time specialist in Italian onions and Managing Director of Vau-Ge Ltd, based in Bobenheim-Roxheim, Rhineland-Palatinate.
Originally, only onions from our own contract cultivation in Southern Italy's Calabria were marketed, but Vau-Ge now also has production facilities in Central Italy. "The demand for our Bella Italia onions remains strong across all segments. Especially in the retail sector, there is an increasing attempt to avoid overseas goods from New Zealand or Australia, which has given a corresponding boost to the demand for Italian onions. An additional advantage is that the onions are on average 10-15 percent cheaper, which makes them quite competitive in terms of price." According to Voll, inflation and the resulting purchasing restraint have less impact on the marketing of onions, as less attention is paid to the price for a staple product like onions.
Daniel Voll has specialized in the import and distribution of Italian onions over the last three decades. Besides the German market, he also supplies customers in Switzerland, Austria, and France.
The Bella Italia onions are usually marketed until the end of June-beginning of July, until enough new harvest onions from German cultivation are available. With a share of about 90 percent, yellow onions continues to dominate the cultivation, although red onions are gradually gaining importance in Italy as well. Voll: "However, we are in direct competition with red onions from Egypt, which have gained significant importance in recent years. We are at a disadvantage because we enter the market later. If the retail chains have just switched to Egypt, they do not want to switch back to Italy. This means, in practice, we would need a good, stable early variety, so that we could be marketable from mid-May - parallel to the season start of the yellow onions.
For more information:
Daniel Voll
Vau-Ge GmbH
Roxheimer Straße 24
67240 Bobenheim-Roxheim
Phone: +49 (0 62 39) 60 43
Fax: +49 (0 62 39) 31 96
Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.vau-ge.de