Leading Italian fresh produce supplier Apofruit has revealed it achieved sales of €34m during the past year, 9 per cent up on the previous year's result despite an overall 22 per cent decrease in the volume of fruit and vegetables it sold at around 58,600.
The result marks a significant milestone in the company's development, following a three-year period in which a major reorganisation of its various operations – imports, exports, distribution, transport, marketing and new product development – have enabled it to strip cost out of its supply chains.
Commenting on the result, commercial director Ilenio Bastoni said the decision to restructure the business had been the right one.
'It's a strategy that focused on varietal innovation, on growth of own-brand products and on the development of particular varieties aimed at the international market,' he commented.
'If you consider the fall in volume and the rise in sales,' he continued, 'the average value per kilo for the produce we sold was 40 per cent higher than it was last year.'
Apofruit said the market for peaches and nectarines, summer products which account for around 70 per cent of the company's sales, was 'lively' until the end of July, at which point it saw demand fall below average levels as the season continued into what was a particularly cold and rainy September in many of its export markets.
However, particularly encouraging for the group was the success of its early varieties, which according to Bastoni were able to attract prices around €0.10-€0.15 higher than average.
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