French apple cooperative Cofruid’Oc Méditerranée has stressed the importance of delivering superior taste and engaging with consumers to add value to a struggling apple market, particularly during the current Russian embargo.
Through its Tasty Granny-branded apples, which are picked when ripe in order to maximise their flavour, managing director Didier Crabos argued that the company is doing just that.
“More than 100 containers of Tasty Granny have been sold,” he said. “And it is not just overseas markets like Asia that appreciate Tasty Granny, but also traditional destinations in continental Europe, including in France.”
In addition to delivering on a high-quality taste and attractive visual appearance, Crabos said that Tasty Granny equally responded to the demand of professional and amateur chefs for an apple suitable for both cooking and serving fresh.
“The strength of the brand is also important when it comes to online sites like Ocado in the UK, which stocks Tasty Granny,” added Crabos. “It shows how many assets remain unexploited by the apple sector. With the Granny Smith variety enjoying a presence on 95 per cent of shelves and scoring second in terms of recognition and fourth in terms of preference, according to a 2014 study by CTIFL, great opportunities are there if efforts are made to realise the potential.”
Together, Italy and France make up more than 83 per cent of the European production of the Granny Smith variety, the Mediterranean climate serving to prolong the season into June and even July. Crucially, the variety’s lateness shields it somewhat from competition from more northern varieties.
“Although innovation is key for the future, not wasting such advantages also makes economic sense,” said Crabos. “With the Reine des Reinettes Gourmandes variety, Cofruid’Oc Méditerranée has already shown its ability to succeed by making something new from something old. We even went as far as choosing a granny to shake up the apple tree.”
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