"We have come to the end of the table grape campaign with significant results on the market for both traditional and seedless grapes, which are in great demand, especially on foreign markets. These results confirm that consumers appreciate fruit that is superior in quality, both in terms of sweetness and health benefits," say brothers Mimmo Fisicaro and Sammy Fisicaro, owners of the Sicilian company Colleroni, based in the province of Syracuse.
Sammy and Mimmo Fisicaro, owners of Sicilian Colleroni
"We were prepared to continue the table grape season until the beginning of November," continues Mimmo Fisicaro. "Instead, due to excessive demand, we concluded it on 20th October. Now we're starting the citrus campaign, which is currently in great demand."
The company, based in Pedagaggi (SR), in eastern Sicily, was founded at the beginning of the 1990s and specialises in marketing the best Sicilian products.
Its extensive commercial calendar ranges from citrus fruits to Mazzarrone table grapes, from pomegranates to Syracuse PGI lemons. In the case of citrus, Colleroni is focuses on different references: the campaign starts with the navel variety, followed by Tarocco, Moro, Sanguinello, Washington navel and Ovale.
"The current campaign for navel oranges," explains Mimmo Fisicaro, "will not be as abundant as last year. The fruit, which has been affected by extreme drought for the third year in a row, is expected to be 20% smaller. In general, the size will be medium. The ripening of the fruit - if we make a critical analysis - is ahead of schedule: In fact, the heat and the dry weather have meant that we are already harvesting lemons and oranges with sugar levels of 13-14 degrees Brix."
"With regard to the pomegranate campaign," says Mimmo Fisicaro, "we can confirm that this has been an excellent year, both in terms of quantity and quality of fruit. The fruit marketed, of the varieties Acco, Smith, Shani and - at the moment - Wonderful, are of high aesthetic and organoleptic quality compared to the production of the last three years. It is well known that the demand for pomegranates has increased in the last five years, following the trend to consume pomegranates both fresh and juiced. This is a trend that in European countries has gone hand in hand with the growth in consumption of healthy fruits that are still considered exotic but are now part of the mainstream diet. We have also noticed that, perhaps as a result of the wars in the Middle East, which have indeed blocked and slowed down port operations and transport, this is the first year that we have had significant requests for pomegranates from abroad compared to the other years. I would like to think that quality is winning out over price in comparison with the countries that have historically produced pomegranates."
"We are optimistic about the problems that the fruit and vegetable sector presents us with each year. The climate continues to be a cause for concern due to the lack of rainfall, so we can say that we have never stopped irrigating in the last fifteen months, with increased costs for farms that do not have water resources."
For more information:
Colleroni
Registered office:
C.da Pezza Grande, sn
Pedagaggi (SR) - Italy
Tel.: +39 095 995515
Tel. :+39 335 759 5834
[email protected]
www.colleroni.it