High quality fruit and a strong promotional campaign in the UK has seen Spanish Picota cherries enjoy a two-fold increases in sales this season.
Warm and dry weather at the beginning of June helped to extend the Picota harvest, promotional body Foods from Spain reported, which allowed UK supermarkets to stock the fruit for over six weeks – a longer than average season.
'Picota cherries have enjoyed a fantastic season with regards to quality,' said Pilar Diaz Flores, technical director of the Cereza de Jerte Denomination of Origin Regulatory Council. 'Poor weather during May and the beginning of June caused a reduction in volumes in the Jerte Valley overall cherry crop of 25-30 per cent, but as the Picota variety is harvested later, it didn't suffer the same weather-related damage as those picked earlier in the season.
The promotional campaign, overseen by Foods from Spain, included press advertising and public relations across all retail stores such as store radio, floor graphics, retailer magazines and websites. On pack promotions included 'Kids go free' and 'Free bottle of Cava' offers.
'Once again, the campaign to support Picota cherries in UK stores and in the media helped us lift the profile of our fruit during its season,' Mr Flores added. 'As always, we have had a very positive reaction to the activity from both shoppers and retailers.'
However, stemmed cherry varieties have not boasted the same success as their Picota counterparts, with poor weather affecting quality and volumes for the second year running in Spain.
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