The exports of Italian organic grapes to Europe have been rather slow at the start of the season, but the situation is expected to improve.
"As usual, demand from Europe starts getting interesting around week 29. This year, however, we started shipping produce already towards the end of week 26, precisely because harvesting operations started around 15 days early. This upset the programs and supplies to markets and supermarkets, as large quantities and types of seasonal fruits from watermelons to stone fruit are available," reports Marilena Daugenti Tarulli, sales manager at OP Tarulli, the leading European producer of organic table grapes with 400 hectares.
"The slowness was starting to worry us, as we feared premature depreciation and a difficulty in aligning ourselves with the quotations of those areas already available on the market. We have not noticed the typical buzz of the start of the season so far, I believe also because of the will to postpone supplies by a few days following what happened at the start of the previous season. Last year, in fact, foreign clients could not source satisfying quantities from Puglia due to the fungal diseases that led to a considerable drop in yields. This year, production was early in many areas due to the mild weather, leading to some confusion among operators."
(Photo: Sweet Sapphire™ variety with oblong grapes)
OP Tarulli boasts over 40 cultivars, grown mainly in the Bari province. "In addition to traditional grapes (such as Victoria, Palieri and Black Magic), seedless varieties Prime, Millennium, Starlight and Arra 30 are also being harvested, followed by Torch, Summer Royal and Candy Snaps. Sales are good in Austria, Germany and Denmark, while the Swiss market remains slow. We are doing an excellent job with Austrian and Danish clients in particular, with supply programs that will last until November and different packaging solutions with three and two grape colours and sizes between 250 and 750 g."
For more information:
O.P. Ortofrutticoli Gruppo Tarulli Soc. Cons. a r.l.
Viale G. Saponaro Sindaco
70016 Noicattaro (Ba) - Italy
+39 080 478 37 61
[email protected]
gruppotarulliop.it