French kiwifruit marketer Primland is set to mark 40 years of kiwifruit cultivation at next month’s Fruit Logistica exhibition in Berlin.
The year 1977 saw the creation of the GIE (economic interest group) of producers called Kiwifruits de France in the southwest of the country.
The aim of the initiative was to organise both production and marketing, pooling marketing resources and storing fruit. The first harvest totalled 10 tonnes in 1977, before reaching 80 tonnes in 1979.
In the 1970s, New Zealand kiwifruit was first sold in the US, the UK (mainly in London) and then in Germany. Meanwhile, some French plantations were created in the Dordogne region, in Landes, in Corsica and in southeastern France.
The creation of Kiwifruits de France quickly brought around 20 new producers together, with François Lafitte and Guy Poylecot deciding in 1979 to combine their efforts to organise the activities of the GIE, which transformed into a cooperative in 1982 to ensure its longevity.
In 2017, according to Primland’s marketing and communication manager, Olivier Pouilhes, the same values of solidarity and organisation, including providing technical advice for producers, continue to influence the daily business of the group of companies formed by SCAAP Kiwifruits de France and Primland.
Pouilhes stressed the efforts that Primland constantly makes to innovate in the business, including in terms of sustainable development, new varieties, quality initiatives and new plantations. This is in addition to Primland’s continuous work in customising packaging to customers’ needs, optimising logistics to reduce the environmental impact and utilising all communication tools available to promote the company’s Oscar brand.
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