"Someone has finally understood that white peaches and nectarines boast exceptional organoleptic qualities when harvested at the right time. It's a pity that there has been little demand for them over the past few years, so producers uprooted them without replacing them. Now demand far exceeds supply," reports Mirco Zoffoli, a collaborator of "Domenico Laghi" from Forlì.
Mirco Zoffoli.
"Peaches and nectarines are generally in demand this time of year, but availability is not high. This means units are empty and prices are satisfactory though grades are below average. Sales are easy from grade A upwards, while it is more difficult to place grades B and C. The weather caused ripening to be 10-12 days early, which penalized fruit growth."
The company also focuses on the foreign market, and Switzerland in particular. "However, things have changed over the past few years, as Spain is now very present. But those big retail chains looking for high-quality fruit, at times processed by hand, need to contact us."
A peculiarity of "Domenico Laghi" is precisely the hand processing of apricots and Saturn peaches, so fruits are riper than the ones processed using the machines.
Jenny Ghiddi.
The owner Jenny Ghiddi explains that: "hand processing is carried out by a few specialized workers who carefully package all the apricots and Saturn peaches that pass through our facility throughout summer. The fruits harvested are therefore riper, and therefore boast superior organoleptic qualities and a longer shelf-life. And the clients, even the foreign ones, appreciate this."
Ghiddi and Zoffoli confirm that "hand processing costs are 30% higher, but the result is striking. Fruits are processed carefully, and we can tell our producers to harvest those that are riper and, therefore, with a higher Brix level. As they do not have to go through the mechanical graders, we can handle fruits that are more delicate."
For more information:
Jenny Ghiddi
Domenico Laghi Sas
Via Cà Mattioli, 2
47122 Forlì FC
+39 0543 722349
[email protected]