Italian marketer Vip is taking a range of varieties on tour across Italy and encouraging consumers to combine them with classic regional foods
Apples from north-east Italy’s Venosta Valley are on tour throughout the country this autumn as part of Applepairing, a campaign that encourages consumers to combine different varieties with a range of classic, regional foods.
The tour is organised by Vip, the Association of Val Venosta Fruit and Vegetable Cooperatives, and highlights the connections between territory, gastronomic culture, and healthy eating.
After initial stops in Lazio and Umbria, the campaign continues its journey in Veneto, where Golden Delicious apples meet Piave cheese; in Piedmont, where Pinova is paired with Alba black truffle; and in Tuscany, where Gala apples combine with the region’s renowned chickpeas.
Further south, consumers will be presented with other imaginative combinations, including Golden Delicious apples and Campania lemons, and Pinova apples and Sicily’s Modica chocolate.
Benjamin Laimer, marketing manager at Vip, sees it as an opportunity to raise the distinct profile of each individual apple variety.
“The quality of the selected ingredients and their variety reflect the enormous potential that Val Venosta apples can have,” he comments. “A journey that is not only a culinary discovery, but also a path to health.”
The group has also teamed up with nutritionist Chiara Manzi, an expert in culinary medicine who offers advice on how apples paired with other traditional products can enhance a dish’s nutritional properties.
For Laimer, the project benefits everyone – consumers discover new flavours and healthy habits, retailers sell more to increasingly loyal shoppers, and Val Venosta boosts its reputation as an innovative and sustainable brand.
He adds: “Applepairing, with all its carefully developed content, finds its maximum expression at the point of sale, where apples are offered alongside regional specialties in combination placements: intuitive cross-selling in the produce section that stimulates consumer curiosity and enriches the shopping experience, leveraging a love for the most well-known local products.”
