With its Sumo Citrus offering paving the way in the easy peel citrus market, Australasian firm Freshmax now hopes to generate demand for Gold Nugget.
A late-season seedless mandarin, Gold Nugget has a rich, sweet taste and bright orange rind at maturity.
Freshmax Group’s Andrew Maughan says the variety’s coarse pebbly skin and the timing of its arrival ensure it will be largely differentiated in the market.
“It will be one of the last Australian-produced mandarins available each season,” Maughan explains. “Whilst Sumo Citrus also has coarse skin it is still quite visibly different to Gold Nugget because of its “topknot” and larger fruit size.
“Sumo Citrus proves to consumers that citrus does not necessarily have to have smooth fine textured skin and it is what is on the inside that counts with exceptional eating.”
Gold Nugget is currently being grown in Queensland and the Sunrayasia and Riverina regions in southern Australia.
The 2017 harvest will be the biggest to date, enabling Freshmax to ramp-up sales programmes after dipping their toe in the water with small volumes last year.
“Production is increasing as the trees are now starting to approach maturity, and this season should see near double the amount fruit from last year,” Freshmax Group’s Tim Ring says. “As the canopy increases the tonnages will increase. This year the season timing looks to be in line with last season and we will see harvest start in August.”
A full version of this article appears in the Winter eddition of Produce Plus.
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