Following yesterday's preview of Dutch exhibitors at the Hong Kong show, we now bring you more of the European exhibitors at the event.
CSO Italy
Leading market developer CSO Italy will once again be presenting some of Italy's main fresh produce companies at its booth at Asia Fruit Logistica, including Apofruit Italia, European Fruit Group, F.lli Clementi, Infia, Mazzoni, Nava, Oranfrizer, Origine Group, Rivoira Group, RK Growers and Tagliani Vivai. Some of these companies are also taking part in “The European Art of Taste”, a three-year promotional campaign co-financed by CSO Italy and the EU to raise awareness and appreciation of European fruit and vegetables. The project targets Asian markets, especially China, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.
Gin Gold
Kiwifruit marketing company Jingold is back in Hong Kong for this year's Asia Fruit Logistica on the back of a strong increase in production (see page 159 for full story). According to the company's marketing manager Federico Milanese, the event remains an essential meeting for the company's expanding operations. “These meetings are important to outline the strategy for upcoming campaigns and to explore potential collaborations with new buyers,” he told Asia Fruit. The group aims to highlight its leading role in supplying red kiwifruit to the region's markets. According to Milanese, the company expects to expand sales of this product by almost a third in 2024.
B&B Frutta
One of Italy's leading fruit exporters, Verona-based apple specialist B&B Frutta is a market leader in the supply of Granny Smith apples, with the majority of its business generated outside Europe, in markets including the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America and Asia. According to CEO Loredano Brentegani, the company was also the first Italian company to export apples using blockchain to record and track shipments. Seven years ago, the company opened a brand new packhouse in Zevio, southeast of Verona, which has served as a platform for further growth in recent years.
Reboiler Group
Rivoira Giovanni & Figli and sister company RK Growers will use the event to raise awareness of the Kikoca Kiwi Consortium (Europe), which was created in March 2024 to manage the production and marketing of Kikoca, the name of two protected yellow-fleshed kiwifruit varieties developed and owned by the University of Udine in Italy. The consortium brings together 11 partners and 1,550 hectares of licensed cultivation; another 200 hectares are planned for cultivation in 2024. The consortium recently elected Andrea Peviani of Peviani as its first president and appointed Fabio Zanesco as secretary general, effective September 1.
Pranasa
Pranasa acquired Yunnan Meiming Agriculture last year, signaling its intention to fully enter China's fast-growing blueberry market. The company continues to promote its broad portfolio of blueberry varieties, led by Blue Madeira, Blue Manila, Blue Maldiva and Blue Malibu, and is currently developing raspberry and strawberry products. “We are very pleased that our cultivation area has now exceeded 2,000 hectares, making us the company with the largest area of patented varieties in China,” said Jeffrey Huang, managing director of Pranasa China. “Asia Fruit Logistica is a great opportunity for us to strengthen our brand image in the Asian market and showcase our genetic and seedling capabilities, as well as our commitment to providing technical support to growers in the region.”
Bio Nest
Bionesto, Spain's largest organic strawberry producer, will present its full range of organic berries at Asia Fruit Logistica, which also includes new varieties with longer shelf lives, allowing it to reduce food waste and enter new markets such as Asia, says Commercial Manager José Manuel Rodríguez. “We will also introduce a heat-sealable cardboard box, which brings many advantages to berry packaging,” he tells Asia Fruit. “The pack reduces the use of plastic by 98 percent, improves the visibility and versatility of our products and allows for better storage. We see Asia as one of our most important markets in the world and we want to continue developing our brand across the continent,” says Rodríguez.
Pink Lady Europe
Sales of Pink Lady and Pinkids apples reached 211,000 tonnes, up 18 percent year-on-year. According to Pink Lady Europe, these results were possible thanks to strong partnerships with retailers and continuous joint efforts to boost the category. “900 activities to promote the brand were carried out with trade marketing support as close as possible to the retailers' needs, which allowed them perfect control over the placement of Pink Lady in their stores,” the company said. Advertising in the media and an influencer marketing strategy focused on promoting the brand's values generated more than 300 million contacts around the “What does Pink Lady do today?” brand platform.
Vlam
Vlam, the agricultural marketing board for Flanders, has invited six Belgian exporters (BelOrta, Belgian Fruit Valley, Devos Group, Wouters Fruithandel, Fresh Fruit Service Europe and Elite Food) to meet and discuss business at the exhibition. Professional chefs will be on hand to prepare snacks using Belgian fruit and vegetables. “Belgian products are popular,” says Hilde Peeters, export project coordinator. “We have a lot of pears exported and chicory is also an important niche product in the vegetable sector. The response at the last exhibition showed that there are also opportunities for speciality products such as strawberries, tomatoes and celery, which is why Vlam will continue its efforts on the Asian market.”
Sinclair
Founded in 1982, Sinclair offers a full managed service for fruit and vegetable labelling. The company has been exhibiting at Asia Fruit Logistica for many years and considers it an important exhibition to meet and network with customers. This year Sinclair will have a demo labelling machine on display at its stand and will also be showcasing its latest home composting label from its composting range. According to the company, the label offers excellent application performance and meets many of the legal requirements for composting, as well as composting standards AS 5810 and NF T51 800. Sinclair currently operates in over 40 markets worldwide and is keen to help packers and growers maximise the potential of fruit labelling for loose fruit.
Angus Soft Fruit
Angus Soft Fruit is a leading supplier of berries to retailers in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The Scottish company breeds, grows and packs berries all over the world to consistently supply their customers with the best tasting berries. This will be their third year exhibiting at Asia Fruit Logistica and the supplier is eager to meet retailers and wholesalers to expand their supplies in Asia. Angus Soft Fruit will be showcasing its Good Natured berry brand, which includes its premium AVA range of strawberry and raspberry varieties. Angus Soft Fruit will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2024.
Berry World
Berry World says it is excited to introduce its best-selling blueberry and strawberry products, carefully crafted for the Asian market. “We are excited to introduce our premium blueberry range, featuring the highest quality award-winning blueberries in sustainable packaging for environmentally conscious consumers. This premium range is also available in organic and extra large blueberries to cater to a wide range of consumer tastes and preferences,” says Stefan Viljoen (pictured below), sales director at Berry World. Viljoen says that Berry World's access to a pipeline of leading strawberry, blueberry and raspberry varieties means there is always something new and interesting coming out to excite customers and give them an edge in the market. According to Viljoen, this demonstrates Berry World's commitment to driving innovation and excellence. “We are streamlining our brand image to highlight the freshness and quality of our products. This bold new product will debut globally next season and demonstrates our dedication to continuous improvement and a great customer experience,” Viljoen points out. “In Asia we are targeting Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong, and in the Middle East we are targeting the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.”
