Tell us about La Calera’s citrus production. How much does it produce, what is the varietal mix like and how much of this is sold to the UK?
Rob Cullum: Total La Calera citrus production is growing all the time and because many orchards are at different stages of maturity it is quite hard to translate into concrete numbers.However, I can tell you that we shipped over 1,200 containers last year and another 400 with partners. We expect volumes to double in the future; this is through a wide varietal mix and a very long shipping season combined with growing all markets. The varieties that we are known for are satsumas, clementines, nadorcotts and minneolas, and we have several more that are reaching the commercial stage and then a group that are in the trial phase too.Our plan for all products, not just citrus, is for 30 per cent of volume to head to the UK, and that is why Pacific was created.Of course some varieties are more suited to other markets and the percentage split is different, but this is the general strategy.
What are the particular USPs of Peruvian citrus?
RC: As the fruit world has found out over the past 15 years, Peru has a great climate and some fantastic growers. In relation to citrus this means that we can provide very long seasons, not just the total length of the citrus season but also stretching individual varieties beyond the normal season that you will find from other southern hemisphere suppliers.I am biased of course, but I would also say that the quality from Peru has a higher level of consistency.
Do you have any new developments to report in terms of investment in land, infrastructure or new varietal work?
RC: We are busy as always planting many different fruits. We cannot rely solely on citrus, however each plot of land that is purchased normally has a percentage of citrus allocated to it.We have many trial plots in different locations as we always strive to find some kind of unique advantage.As the volume of citrus (and other crops) grows we have to keep pace with our internal infrastructure, we need to upgrade the packhouse, machinery and cooling facilities and, of course, invest in our staff. This year has brought big infrastructure investments with upgrades to the citrus packhouse and a new avocado packhouse. The newest variety that we have a small commercial volume of is Orri. The fruit is fantastic – in my opinion the best-tasting easy peeler available – however it is not an easy variety to grow and yields are not the same as other varieties like nadorcott, so for that reason it will probably remain a niche line.
What are the major talking points in Peruvian citrus at the moment?
RC: Probably the same talking point as for many products from Peru – what effects will there be from El Niño.We have seen this season that early fruit did not colour up to the normal levels and projections and timings have not been to the normal accuracy of Peru. Peru is normally the one country that is very stable and accurate and this has caused some concern.Fruit size has been relatively large this season so that has had an effect on prices and which markets can take volume.
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