Earth Market, a key player in the distribution of red fruits in France, participated in SIVAL for the first time this year. For the occasion, the company decided to showcase its first strawberry innovation obtained from Marionnet Lavel. This new Marvella variety is a strawberry developed to seduce the largest number of consumers and for its advantages in terms of production.
Joris Combe and Mathilde Paignat at SIVAL 2023
Marvella: more taste than other round strawberries
This early-round strawberry has two main characteristics. “We chose it first for its taste,” explains Joris Combe, sales manager at Earth Market. “The Marvella is tastier than the leading varieties of the round strawberry segment. It also is larger in size, it is firmer, and its skin is stronger than the market standard.” According to Mathilde Paignat, marketing manager of Earth Market, “its stable orange-red color is an asset for consumers who are not always very fond of dark-red strawberries.”
A strawberry tolerant to powdery mildew
In France, the Marvella was tested by more than 70 producers over a period of two years. The variety is harvested as early as March, which is a real asset for French producers. The Marvella indeed has a spread-out production cycle, taking place a week before the rest of the market. Another significant advantage of this variety is its tolerance to powdery mildew, a problem that has been increasingly impacting the sector, especially with the reduction of active substances authorized for production. “It is also a variety that adapts well everywhere in France, with a fast harvesting speed.”
Developing abroad
The variety will not be properly launched until 2024, but Earth Market already has great ambitions for its Marvella. “It is a strawberry with a consensual taste. Contrary to other varieties whose very specific taste does not always appeal to everyone, the Marvella seems to be liked by all. This is one of the reasons why the company aims to market the strawberry beyond the borders of France. “The Marvella has also received good feedback in England and Germany. We intend to sell it in Western Europe, as well as North America.”
To accompany the deployment of their variety, Earth Market has been training a panel of experts to develop the vocabulary used to describe the taste of a strawberry.
For more information:
Mathilde Paignat
Earth Market
Mobile: +41 79 403 16 57
mathilde.paignat@earth-market.com