Italy's leading apple marketer Melinda has made its first moves into the soft fruit and cherry sectors with the launch of new Trentino-grown strawberry and cherry lines.
Sold under the same iconic Melinda brand, the company said it expected to supply high-quality cherries grown in the Val di Non – the same area its apple production is located – from mid-June until the first week of August.
The strawberries are being distributed by Verona-based wholesaler Mario Merci and, according to Italiafruit News, the first consignment consisted of 250g punnets of the Elsanta variety packed in cartons bearing unique identification numbers to prevent re-use.
'The sales price, as far as Italiafruit News can tell, is around 30 per cent higher compared with average strawberry prices in this period,' the website reported.
Melinda is also expected to add other berries to its fruit offer during the coming months.
The news that one of Europe's major apple brands would be diversifying its offer emerged last March.
'Our programme for further expansion in the near future includes a broadening of our portfolio to include the launch of Melinda cherries, strawberries and other soft fruit, all of it grown 100 per cent in the Non Valley,' explained general director Luca Granata.
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