Fratelli Orsero, the premium brand marketed by Italian fresh produce giant GF Group, is carving a new niche in the market for fresh-cut fruit, according to a report published on the Italiafruit News website.
Michele Dall’Olio, the publication’s marketing specialist, reported that special Fratelli Orsero-branded packs – containing chopped pineapple, melon and combinations of those two plus kiwifruit and apple – are becoming more visible in Italian supermarkets. He spoke to Alessandro Canalella, managing director of GF Group’s import subsidiary Simba, about the on-going development of the new range.
Can you give us an idea of the scope of Fratelli Orsero’s fresh-cut fruit distribution across the country?
AC: The fresh-cut project is relatively young and its marketing began in fact in April 2012. Currently we are concentrating on Tuscany and Lazio as part of a test phase aimed principally at monitoring results before extending the distribution into other areas.
Our product, chopped fruit packed in bowls and ready to eat, has one unique characteristic: unlike other products on sale, it doesn’t undergo any kind of preservative treatment – no modified atmosphere, no pasteurisation etc. It’s therefore a product of the highest quality that matches the values of the Fratelli Orsero brand, which is synonymous with extra premium fruit.
In 2013, we sold around 500,000 packs containing a total of 164 tonnes [of fruit]. The trend in the first six months of 2014 is around 25 per cent up on the previous year.
Which retailers are selling the products? Are they available only in supermarkets, or are they being sold in other channels like Autogrill or the traditional markets?
AC: At the moment we are distributing the products in modern retail chains like Conad, Coop and Sma. For a short time, we have been extending our distribution to the HoReCa channel, taking advantage of GF Group company Giotto’s network to begin serving the catering sector. Also, in collaboration with Mukki Latte (a Tuscan company that distributes milk and dairy products), we are supplying them to bars in Tuscany.
Are there any plans to expand the range to other products besides cut fruit?
AC: We are aiming to expand the range, but it has to be coherent and compatible with the simplicity of our production process, which, as we have already explained, doesn’t use any type of preservative. We have carried out several tests with fruit in combination with other products (yoghurt, for example) but for the moment we are concentrating only on fruit.
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