"We have just ended the citrus fruit campaign with the late Tarocco Meli varieties. We will now continue with the Sicilian lemon and Saturn peach campaign, followed by that of summer fruits. Apricots will become available in a couple of weeks' time, followed by Coscia pears in high summer," reports Lucio Oliveri, sole administrator of Motta Cooperativa Agricola, while presenting the calendar of seasonal products at his company.
"Despite what they say about the commercialization of pigmented oranges, sales went well. This is thanks to the new Tarocco Lempso and Tarocco Ippolito varieties, which I specialize in. Although we did not get the grades required by the market, my historic clients, especially those from Switzerland, confirmed the unique aftertaste of our Fragolino."
The land owned by the Motta cooperative covers 230 hectares in the fertile plain in Motta Sant'Anastasia (CT). The fruit is untreated: it is processed in a large facility equipped with cold storage units with a large warehouse and three new processing lines.
The cooperative commercializes citrus fruit mainly on the domestic market, while sending mainly pigmented varieties (Tarocco Lempso and Ippolito) to northern Europe as well. Orders from the foreign markets grow by 20% every year on average, especially from Switzerland, Germany, France, Sweden and the Netherlands, which tend to prefer untreated fruits grown in a sustainable manner that respects the environment.
"As is well known, the drought and high temperatures affected the campaign, especially when it comes to the grades. Unlike oranges, lemons grew thanks to this, so we can say the weather was somewhat favorable. Anyway, the peculiarity of this campaign is that we never stopped irrigating to support the plants, which takes me back to 1995, a year when it never rained in the Catania plain. The consequence are the higher electricity costs to bring well water to the surface."
"We are currently working on restyling the new website, www.arancedagustare.eu. Online sales continue to grow and have the advantage of shortening the chain, putting us in close contact with the final clients. We guarantee fresh produce that is shipped just a few hours after being harvested. The short chain helps us have a personal relationship with final clients, with no intermediaries, which helps establish trust between producers and consumers. Fruits are harvested, sorted and placed in wooden crates. The produce is not subjected to stress or impacts and, therefore, if placed in a dry, cool and ventilated place, it can last for around 30 days even if it is not treated with anti-mold products or wax. Our clients know they are part of a green chain, as we do not use chemicals and only choose wooden crates for our produce."
For more information:
Lucio Oliveri
Motta Cooperativa Agricola
Via Policara, 28
Motta S. Anastasia (CT) - Italy
+39 339 3249605
+39 095 8164035
[email protected]
www.aranciarossailfragolino.it