Citrus supplier MMG has announced that it has launched its easy peel Navel orange onto the UK market one month earlier than in 2008 to cater for demand generated by last year's sales.
Boasting high brix and low acid content, the orange is part of MMG's campaign to 'Breathe fresh ideas into the citrus category', according to the group.
With the option to peel the fruit without creating a mess, MMG said that it hopes to re-establish the orange as a lunchtime snack. Oranges now make up just 27 per cent of the UK's citrus category, compared with 73 per cent in 1999, although the overall citrus market has grown 69 per cent over the past 10 years.
'We knew last year that these oranges were fantastic and that sales would be good, so long as we could generate the initial interest,' said MMG's commercial director Garry Cirillo. 'We therefore worked with our Australian partners to see how we could extend the season this year and increase the volumes to meet demand.'
The easy peelers will be sold in Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer in the UK, MMG said.
The fruit is grown in Victoria, Australia, by Belvedere Fruit Growersand is marketed exclusively by Jak Fruit in the country, with MMGmarketing the fruit exclusively in the UK.
'Our plan is now to get this orange grown elsewhere in the world to help us offer this product for longer and, of course, in greater volumes,' Mr Cirillo added.
Established in 2007, MMG Citrus is a joint-venture company, owned 50 per cent by Fresca Group and 50 per cent by E Martinavarro SA.
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