The season will end earlier than expected for the new "Divino - il kaki italiano" brand due to considerable and unexpected destocking already recorded in the days leading up to Christmas.
Francesca Gallicchio from Gallicchio Frutta in Scanzano Jonico (Matera), the creator of the brand, explains that the last batch of persimmons located in Basilicata will be harvested and processed by mid-February. Persimmons are of the Rojo Brillante variety and the delay technique was applied to the orchard in order to test the life of the hanging fruits and their quality in late winter.
Batch of Rojo Brillante persimmons - photo taken on Wednesday 29 January 2025
"About 100 tonnes of produce in good condition, with fruits that have reached a fairly advanced stage of ripeness, will soon be distributed to some national fruit and vegetable markets. We are approaching the end of the 2024/25 season, which we believe will still end about 20 days earlier than expected. We have recorded a very good commercial performance, better than in the past: during the first few days of 2025, we had about 400 tonnes of goods in storage units, which were rapidly sold in Italy and abroad. Demand was high, with prices 20% higher than at the peak of the season. Had we still had volumes available, it would not have been at all difficult to place them. Despite an increase in quantities of over 40% compared to the previous campaign, we should have made an effort to incorporate other volumes from Southern Italy, to stretch the commercial calendar as much as possible."
"In the season that is coming to an end, we have been able to see how crucial it is to delay harvesting as much as possible for part of the cultivated areas. We have placed some crates in units to assess fruit shelf-life."
For more information:
Divino - The Italian persimmon
Gallicchio Frutta Srls
Via Piemonte n. 36/b
75020 Scanzano Jonico (MT)
335 5872063 (Antonio)
334 8121776 (Francesca)
info@ilkakidivino.com
Ilkakidivino.com