Gentile Group launches its own brand Fruttini italiani® to enhance a premium product dedicated to berries. Loris Gentile, founding partner of the Cooperativa Gentile Group, told the origins of the new brand in an exclusive interview with Italian Berry .
How did your project come about?
We want to give value to the Italian product. blackberries, blueberries and raspberries grown in southern Italy from the plains of Metapontino to the hilly and mountainous areas of the Apennines. Behind every basket of berries marketed is a work of extreme precision. Varietal choice, cultivation technique, harvesting and selection are the cornerstones on which we work with great professionalism. To stand out, processes must be optimized. "Aiming for perfection" is our motto, our philosophy. Our brand wants to tell the story of Italy that works and the redemption of young Italians demoralized by an obsolete agriculture that we must forget.
What will be your market target?
We position ourselves in the premium segment with high quality, and thanks to the varietal assortment we are able to be present on consumers' tables 12 months a year with blackberries and raspberries. For the Italian blueberries on the other hand, with the new varieties we will be able to be present as early as December until August.
So you will be present with your productions in different parts of Italy?
We have acquired licenses for the exclusive production of blackberries and raspberries and are starting massive cultivations of blueberries that will be added to those already present in the country. Starting in Basilicata, the Gentile Group is investing in cultivations in Sicily, Calabria and Puglia.
Francesca Quinto, founding partner, explains to Italian Berry what is behind this new brand:
"We guarantee transparency and precision with a product that stands out. We have created a sort of mascot in the image of our brand, comparable to a cartoon, because the aim is to attract the attention of children by encouraging them to consume fruit and "colour" a now grey and tired market that needs to innovate and align itself with models from other countries, such as the UK.
How do you plan to promote consumption among your customers?
Italy is among the countries with the lowest per capita consumption and we don't want to stand by and watch. Since the beginning of the year 2022, we have planned a considerable communication effort both in fruit shops and in some strategic points in the Italian capitals aimed at encouraging the consumption of berries, starting with the youngest. It is no coincidence that the colours of our new brand reflect those of our country in a year in which the sporting world has made blue shine and waved the Italian flag on several occasions.
Will you also have non-standard product lines in your assortment?
We have added the BIO line to our range, which will complement the Zero Residue line. We are promoting the Histamine free and Nickel free line for berries to meet the demands of even more demanding consumers.
What will be your commercial strategy?
Our commercial partners at national level will manage the product with exclusivity. We are present in 33 Italian markets, from Palermo to Trieste, and from January onwards we will be on the shelves of some important companies. Our supplies will only be guaranteed to those who can consistently guarantee the right value for a premium product while maintaining its high commercial value, in a market crowded with products of foreign origin (Spain and Morocco in particular) and with consumers increasingly attentive to the origin of the products they buy.
The new brand will therefore be a team effort made by young people. 90% of Fruttini italiani® producers are young people (under 40 years old) who have courageously put themselves on the line and believed in the project conceived by Loris and Francesca, the founding members of this cooperative based in Basilicata. The idea of a quality agriculture that knows how to value the sacrifices of all the actors of this ambitious project was born in Policoro, a small town in Basilicata, famous for the production of strawberries.
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