Italy: Gap of more than a month in the supply of pumpkin
From left to right: President of OPO Bellaguarda, Giacomo Scaroni, the new drettore Paolo Sarzi Maddidini and sales manager Giovanni Zenari.
The company's flagship product, besides melons, is the Delica pumpkin, with excellent quality and particularly suitable for cooking.
Delica pumkins.
As long as the Delica was available on the market, however, sales prices struggled to reach the levels of 2011, "Last year you could easily sell in the winter at prices well above 1.00 € / kg. Instead this year, thanks to the current economic crisis, prices have found a psychological threshold at 1 euro. Above this level, the demand is drastically reduced."
Delica Pumpkin with a brochure containing some recipes.
As long as the Delica was available on the market, however, sales prices have struggled to reach the levels of 2011: "Last year you could easily sell in the winter at prices well above 1.00 € / kg. Instead this year , thanks to the current economic crisis, prices have found a psychological threshold at 1 euro. Above this level, the demand simply is drastically reduced."
Butternut squash.
The pumpkin market is currently supplied by other cultivars, such as Muscade de Provence and Butternut. "As for the first variety," explains Paolo, "large volumes are available from the central and southern Italy, where they have invested in increasing the area under cultivation, and also from France, offering the product at low prices. As for the butternut, it is widely available due to the fact that many exports flow to the UK this year found the way blocked by the competitor product from Greece."
Sliced Muscade pumpkin.
A sharp growth is instead recorded for the product of the fresh cut range, such as butternut squash cubes and sliced Muscade (pictured above), of which volume has exceeded 20% of total sales (35% considered the raw product). The main channel for the whole and fresh cut pumpkin from OPO Bellaguarda are the GDO-Retail facilities, nationwide.
Photo below: Butternut squash in cubes.
Contacts:
Giovanni Zenari - Responsabile commerciale
O.P.O. Bellaguarda s.a.c.
Via G. Leopardi, 181
46030 Viadana fraz. Bellaguarda (MN)
Ph.: +39 (0)375 857003
Fax: +39 (0)375 857002
Cell.: +39 335 6320593
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.cocomerita.it
