After discussing the production and markets of 'chem free' citrus fruit, FreshPlaza has decided to focus on the most popular Sicilian blood orange variety - Tarocco Ippolito. Once again, we talked with Salvo Laudani and Sara Grasso from Oranfrizer.
What is your leading product and why?
"The leading product for Oranfrizer has always been Tarocco blood oranges, which have a high pigmentation and a balanced flavor with a good contrast between sweet and sour. Numerous cultivars have been planted and considerable investments have been made to prolong the season, so much so that we now harvest excellent early, medium and late cultivars (Nocellare, Ippolito, Sciara and Sant'Alfio) for six months. Fruits have in common a bright red color and excellent nutritional qualities with a good content of anthocyanin and vitamin C: they are among the most demanded fruits because they are in line with consumer trends, which are increasingly oriented towards healthy options. Precisely for this reason, this season we have witnessed an increase in the demand for Moro: among the blood oranges we harvest each campaign, Moro is the first variety to develop the exceptional pigmentation that characterizes the fruits, making them very popular," reported marketing manager Salvo Laudani (in the photo).
What is the packaging used for Italian retailers?
"Loose oranges, i.e. large ones, remain the most popular in Italy. Good part of consumers have not changed their habit of picking fruits one by one. However, we are still detecting a trend - strongly linked with the pandemic - that prefers packaged fruit. The demand for packaged fresh produce has increased, as it makes shopping quicker and fruits are more 'protected'. In order to meet all distribution needs, we adapt to change by widening the formats on offer: there are bags of smaller oranges often used for squeezing, medium grades in bags and trays and loose bigger grades."
We asked the same question to Sara Grasso (right), export manager at Oranfrizer, who answered: "Sales abroad vary depending on the country, buyer choices and product chosen. Larger Tarocco Ippolito oranges are sold as single fruits, but also in bags and trays containing 4 fruits."
"Tarocco Ippolito is the most prestigious cultivar we harvest during the citrus fruit season, boasting excellent flavor, appearance and nutritional qualities. It finds the best soil and weather conditions to ripen in the Catania plain, at the foothills of Mount Etna. It has a particularly well-balanced flavor with a harmonic contrast between sugar content and acidity. The red pigmentation on the peel is very accentuated right from the start of the citrus fruit season. Fruits are almost always without seeds. The edible peel, which has a deep orange color, is thin, with amazing red hues at times. Harvesting in Sicily starts in January and end in February. We harvest over 900 tons."
Is Tarocco Ippolito only found in Sicily or is it also harvested in other parts of Italy/the world? Where is it popular?
"Tarocco Ippolito is a fruit of spontaneous genetic modification that was born here in Sicily, where it develops fruits that simply cannot be compared with imitations from other parts of the world. The variety is named after the contrada where it was originally harvested. It was progressively propagated after it recovered and is now one of the examples of Etnean citrus fruit innovation that also involves the introduction of other clones and new rootstocks tolerant to the Tristeza virust," stressed Laudani.
"It is also grown in Spain and South Africa. According to our English clients, however, the Spanish fruits do not reach the characteristics typical of Sicilian oranges, especially when it comes to flavor. As for South Africa, we are still waiting to try it as groves have still to become productive," added Sara Grasso.
For further information: 
Oranfrizer Srl
SP 28/I Km 1.300
95048 Scordia (CT) ITALY
+39 095 7937111
[email protected]
www.oranfrizer.it