Pomegranate grower Masseria Fruttirossi began harvesting its first fruits two days ago, with early varieties like Shany, Emek and Ako, and will continue with the Wonderful variety in the coming months.
"We have just started supplying our products to Germany and are now opening up to the Italian market," says Dario De Lisi, sales manager at Masseria Fruttirossi. "Exceptionally warm temperatures this summer allowed us to start harvesting about 10 days earlier than in previous years, allowing us to enter national and international markets, especially in northern Europe, ahead of our competitors. Our forecasts have been confirmed; it is going to be an excellent year, with more than 5,000 tons of pomegranates, an increase of around 40% compared to last year's 3,500 tons, and above all, of excellent quality. This is an important result, achieved thanks to our high-tech irrigation systems, which limit the problems caused by drought, and the most advanced agronomic disciplines applied in the field. Today we can guarantee the main international operators adequate supplies in terms of quantity and quality, but we are also launching commercial initiatives to respond to new market needs."
"In many European countries we have seen the exponential growth of pre-packed fruit, especially in recent years. This is a phenomenon that is set to continue. The pomegranate," De Lisi continues, "is undoubtedly a fruit with the greatest potential in this sector because, although it is difficult to peel, it is increasingly in demand for its exceptional antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutraceutical properties. One example among many is the UK market, which we already supply with our convenient ready-to-eat packs, where demand for arils has tripled in recent years."
Harvested pomegranates - photo taken on 29 August 2024
The agri-food company plans to position itself in this interesting market segment and make the most of the opportunity. "We are already ready with our Lome Super Fruit® pomegranate arils, the brand under which we also sell the fresh product and our 100% pure cold-pressed pomegranate juices. At Masseria Fruttirossi we can also guarantee buyers and consumers the origin and production chain of our ready-to-eat arils. We only pack arils from pomegranates grown on our 400 dedicated hectares, using agronomic methods that respect the environment, all of which are guaranteed by the numerous international quality certifications we have acquired, such as GlobalGAP, BRC, IFS, SMETA and Vegan OK."
In the face of competition, however, this may not be enough. Thanks to the HPP (High Pressure Processing) machine, which uses high internal hydrostatic pressures, Lome Super Fruit's arils undergo a process known as "cold pasteurisation", which naturally eliminates the bacterial load while preserving all the nutritional and organoleptic properties, without the use of additives or chemical treatments. "We are the only ones who can guarantee a product shelf life of around twenty days in the cold chain. This puts us in pole position not only on the domestic market, but also on the international market. If we consider, for example, that it takes 4/5 days to reach the markets of northern Europe, our arils in the ready-to-eat segment have a remaining shelf life of a good 15 days, which even local producers cannot guarantee."
A QR code on the packaging allows consumers to download a PDF file with recipes
The Apulian company is about to launch several marketing campaigns to promote Lome Super Fruit arils. "We have put a lot of trust in the development of the ready-to-eat segment, which is growing everywhere. That is why we have joined the 'Fruit Shows' project, which aims to promote the consumption of quality fruit and vegetables directly in supermarkets. We have even created a fun mascot in a cheerful pomegranate costume to promote the arils and the entire Lome Super Fruit chain, from fruit to juice."
For more information:
Masseria Fruttirossi
C.da Terzo Dieci snc
74011 Castellaneta (Taranto) - Italy
Tel.: +39 099 9647688
Email: [email protected]
lomesuperfruit.com