The VOG Consortium is committed to expanding the range of buyers through new strategies and support projects for a booming sector. Among the planned initiatives, participation in three specialized fairs.
For more than thirty years organic farming has been an integral part of VOG development projects: a booming segment that is becoming more and more important year after year.
Currently, the volume of organic apples of the Consortium represents around 10% of the total production and, for another year, it will guarantee the commercialization for twelve months, with continuity in the production and good quality of the apples. This year’s harvest presents a very good quality level and the sizes are in the average of the last years.
“For this season it is expected a production of 32,000 tons of table apples, with agreements already in place with the various distributors, ”says Klaus Hölzl, VOG’s sales manager. The markets have reacted well and marketing has been dynamic since the beginning of the new season, which allows us to schedule activities with confidence ”.
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“The effort of our farmers is constant: we have three hundred farmer partners who give their best, day after day, to offer high-quality apples to those who choose organic products,” says Werner Castiglioni, director of Biosüdtirol, the cooperative of VOG dedicated entirely to the ecological production—. For VOG it is a mission, a passion and a great source of pride to be able to offer consumers, day after day, genuine, natural fruit that is as respectful with the environment as it is with the people who grow it ”.
Variety innovation also contributes to the growth of the organic segment, a central element in the policies of development of the VOG Consortium. RedPop® and Giga®, For example, two of the new apples recently introduced are characterized by their natural resistance to apple tree fungus, making them particularly suitable for organic cultivation and are therefore also available in an organic version. The Bio Marlene® and Biosüdtirol brands already have a loyal audience and they complement well with the integrated production, characteristic of the general offer of the Consortium. It also increases the organic production of envy ™, Kanzi® and Pink Lady® apples.
Investments in organic farming have the goal of developing new opportunities for VOG farmers. “Now our commitment is translated into communication strategies aimed at promoting demand,” says Walter Pardatscher, director of the VOG Consortium. We aim to directly reach end consumers who, although they are interested in organic products, are not yet buying them. We believe that there is a wide segment of the market that has yet to be conquered ”.
Among the strategies that have been put into practice to encourage the purchase of organic apples is the participation of the cooperative Biosüdtirol del VOG Consortium in no less than three industry fairs completely dedicated to the organic segment.
In the first, Biolife (held in Bolzano from 5 to 7 November), the Cooperative participated in association with Bioland. The stand also featured farmer partners, who provided information on apples and organic crops. The second is B / Open, held in Verona on November 9 and 10 and dedicated to Italian and foreign operators in the sector, in its first in-person edition after the restrictions caused by the pandemic. Finally, Biosüdtirol returns for the third time to the Nordic Organic Food Fair, which will take place in Malmö on November 17 and 18. This fair represents the perfect opportunity to cover the Scandinavian markets, especially the Swedish and Danish.
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