"In recent weeks, we have witnessed a surge in sales linked to two concomitant factors - the fact that domestic market prices have fallen, plus the fact that the greatest demand for organic products comes from northern Europe. Germany confirms itself as the best market for such productions, as the leading distribution platforms where we operate have expanded their organic offer," reports Carmelo Micale (pictured below), President of Consorzio APAM PO of Torrenova (ME).
"The main reasons for buying organic products are linked to health - indicated as the main factor by 30% of consumers - taste and flavor compared to traditional products, as well as environmental sustainability in the production phase. In almost all countries, this trend is supported by a strong presence of shops specializing in organic products and an increasing availability of these products in supermarkets."
Carmelo Micale, president of APAM and manager of Tesoribio, visiting Raphael Kennerknecht, manager of Lehmann Natur.
Apam is an entrepreneurial reality that was set up in the last century and is currently supported by the producers belonging to the Consortium, which brings together 200 members covering about 900 hectares of land it total between the province of Messina and Siracusa, 750 of which are destined to organic productions. The organization is strongly rooted in the territory thanks to a true synergy between operators in the supply chain, to the finalization and subsequent placement of the products, so that complete traceability of the goods supplied can be guaranteed. The consortium includes producers who run a production site in Molise, where members grow vegetables and summer fruit.
The lemon varieties cultivated and marketed include femminello PGI lemons from Syracuse, recognized for their organoleptic properties, and Limone Costa Tramontana. In addition, the consortium produces Navel, Tarocco, Ovale, and Valencia oranges, tangerines, clementines, and kumquats.
"We are also growing when it comes to the marketing of blond oranges. We have invested in new areas where we have planted late oranges that will become fully productive over the next few years. We are already gaining a good market share with oranges, thanks to a quality product that we obtain with highly-specialized production techniques. The introduction of new clones on the market, including early and late varieties, has expanded the citrus marketing campaign, in parallel with the qualitative improvement of productions both in terms of resistance to phytosanitary attacks and in terms of fruit firmness."
"Costa Tramontana lemons are among the premium productions marketed under the brand name. They boast early ripening and excellent organoleptic qualities. We are focusing on the promotion of a branding policy to promote this prized citrus fruit on a large scale, a particular cultivar of Limone Femminello bred on the Tyrrhenian coast of Messina, between the Gulf of Milazzo and the Tusa fiumara, just opposite the Aeolian Islands. The fruit grows in an area that faces the Tyrrhenian Sea, whose microclimate is constantly caressed by the cool north winds."
"The vast majority of the company's production is destined for the big retail chains of almost all northern European countries. We have direct contacts with important distribution platforms so, over the years, we have acquired a fair amount of experience in managing continuity of supply and interpersonal fairness with our business partners. Germany, for example, is a notoriously difficult market, which follows economic fluctuations and has high expectations.
"Among the projects we have been concentrating on for some years is the desire to extend the commercial calendar by introducing late varieties of blond oranges, so that we can deliver citrus fruits to the markets as late as July/August. We will have to wait a couple of years, as the Navel Powell plants need to go into production. We have replanted much of the land with innovative varieties that are more resistant to climate change."
For more information:
Carmelo Micale
O.P. CONSORZIO APAM Soc. Coop. a.r.l.
Piazza Stazione Zappulla
98070 Torrenova (ME) - Italy
+39 (0)941 958036
+39 (0)941 958070
info@consorzioapam.it
www.consorzioapam.it