Over the course of 2024, Italian Berry gathered voices, experiences and strategies from the protagonists of the berry industry, sharing interviews that explored innovation, challenges and opportunities. From the Lagnasco Group's prospects for varietal renewal to Morocco's global market visions, via the role of blueberries as an out-of-home snack and strategies for growing consumption, each interview brought to light valuable insights for the sector.
This selection of the most-read interviews represents a compendium of ideas and trends driving the future of berries, highlighting the successes of companies, the importance of innovation, and the centrality of the consumer.
Discover the stories, opinions, and initiatives of those shaping the future of berries.
Lagnasco Group focuses on varietal renewal to extend the sales window
Massimo Perotto, Lagnasco Group
Anticipating the first harvest, extending the season through the search for new varieties while simultaneously reducing dependence on Duke: Lagnasco Group, and in particular the cooperative Blu di Valle, which is part of the group and produces 100% blueberries, sees the glass half full when looking to the future.
Read the full interview with Massimo Perotto
Promoting blueberry consumption with an association: it must be done!
Carlo Lingua, RK Growers
Carlo Lingua, CEO of RK Growers and president of BerryWay, is unstoppable when we reach out for an in-depth interview on the current state of the blueberry sector: “An association to promote blueberry consumption would be needed. It's a shame that the project was abandoned,” he tells us at the start.
Read the full interview with Carlo Lingua
Arrigoni: solutions for active protection of berries
In an exclusive interview with Giuseppe Netti, agronomist and Italy manager for Arrigoni Spa, Italian Berry delves into the risks related to climate and the environment, analyzing active protection solutions that can be implemented to safeguard berry crops.
Netti addresses the key challenges faced by global berry producers, increasingly exposed to various atmospheric risks, mainly related to precipitation (rain, storms, hail) and extreme temperatures (excessive heat and spring frosts), as well as damages caused by insects and other environmental hazards.
Listen to the full interview with Giuseppe Netti
Sant'Orsola: growing trends in Italy thanks to the interest of Central-Southern consumers
Nicola Leonardi, sales manager of the Sant’Orsola cooperative, commented exclusively for Italian Berry on the trends in berry consumption in Italy, as analyzed by the Italian Berry GfK Semiannual Observatory with data updated to 31/12/2023.
"We are seeing increased interest from Central-Southern Italy consumers, which could boost total market penetration across the country."
Read the full interview with Nicola Leonardi
Hans Liekens: Livie™ blueberries will be the next snack, and out-of-home consumption is a big opportunity
Hans Liekens, Sekoya
Hans Liekens, value chain & retail manager at Sekoya, shared Sekoya®'s strategies and objectives at Macfrut 2024. In this exclusive interview, he commented on GfK's out-of-home consumption survey, explaining why blueberries can become an excellent snack.
“We strongly believe in consumers' needs in specific places – Liekens added – Whether they're exercising or shopping and feel the need for a snack, Sekoya® blueberries can be their healthy choice. If an airline served three large, crunchy, and tasty blueberries, would passengers complain? Or what if a coffee chain offered a cup of fresh, large, crunchy blueberries next to a blueberry muffin?”
Read the full interview with Hans Liekens
Moroccan berries with president Amine Bennani
Amine Bennani, president of the Moroccan Association of Red Fruit Producers, is the guest of the 16th episode of Berry Talks, the monthly interview format with global leaders in the berry supply chain.
The conversation with Bennani analyzes the strong development of the Moroccan industry, with a particular focus on blueberries growing at a rate of 500 new hectares planted annually. The sector is leveraging significant opportunities arising from opening new markets worldwide based on a reputation for reliable origin and high-quality products.
Listen to the full interview with Amin Bennani
Slomp: constant blueberry growth and prices remain high
Nicola Slomp, Slomp Renzo e Luciano snc
The specialization in berries has 14 years of history for Slomp, but in fact, berries were introduced among the products marketed and distributed to large-scale retail since the early 1990s.
“Since 2010, we have worked exclusively with berries, and especially in recent years, we have seen an exponential growth in interest for blueberries. For us, blueberries have grown steadily, especially in the past three years. It is double-digit growth in volume, with peaks reaching +30% year on year.”
Read the full interview with Nicola Slomp
F.lli Castellino, “Networking to boost consumption”
Francesco Imberti, F.lli Castellino
Blueberry consumption is growing in Italy and worldwide, but in our country, the increase is due to the growth in sales format weights: this is the opinion of Francesco Imberti, sales manager at F.lli Castellino (pictured).
Imberti told us: “Consumers' purchasing power has decreased, and we clearly see the peak in consumption when supermarkets run promotions.”
Read the full interview with Francesco Imberti
Nergi, ready for new investments in baby kiwi plantations by Ortofruit
Romualdo Riva, Ortofruit
“The positioning of Nergi in the department is next to berries, in the same 125-gram packages, and the price is also comparable to that of berries.
Only 13-14% of the production is destined for the Italian large-scale retail, while the remaining part is directed to the European market: Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, and Norway.”
Read the full interview with Romualdo Riva
Growing blueberries by focusing on Ho.Re.Ca, says Elio Pattini
Elio Pattini, Pattini Emilio sas
Despite the general increase in prices and the need for many consumers to make choices, blueberries remain non-negotiable. Elio Pattini, owner of Pattini Emilio SAS, has high hopes for the future of blueberries in the berry segment, also because, looking back, blueberries have never disappointed:
“We have been working with them for 12 years – Elio Pattini told us – and year after year, we have seen a continuous increase in volumes produced, and consumption keeps growing. Personally, I see positive momentum for blueberries; they are convenient to eat and healthy. I also believe that there are still people who have not discovered them. There is room for further growth.”
Read the full interview with Elio Pattini
