Dulcis, the new Italian kiwifruit variety, will make its international debut this year following last year’s successful launch in Italy. The variety will be sold in selected European supermarkets, including those in Germany, Belgium and Spain, as well as in Italy.
More than 600 tonnes of the fruit will be marketed this year, almost triple the volume sold in 2023.
Dulcis was developed by New Plant of Forlì in collaboration with the University of Udine and the University of Bologna and is grown exclusively by Agrintesa-Alegra, Apofruit Italia, and Orogel Fresco. There are currently 300ha of production, expected to expand to 500ha by 2025.
With the 2024 harvest almost finished, Mirco Zanelli, commercial director of Apofruit, commented: “We are extremely pleased with both the yields and the quality of the fruit. We anticipate a very positive market response, both in Italy and abroad, thanks to partnerships with retailers in various countries”.
Alegra’s Mauro Laghi added: “Dulcis is proving to be a strategic product. Its harvest has fully met our initial expectations, coming 10-15 days earlier than the Hayward variety. This allows us to fill a particularly important commercial window with a high-quality offering, arriving just as the Northern Hemisphere’s production begins to pick up”.
Vincenzo Finelli, of Orogel Fresco, stated: “This year has confirmed that Dulcis is the solution our growers have been waiting for. We are increasingly facing challenges related to climate change. This unique kiwifruit variety has shown it can adapt perfectly to changing seasonal conditions, with fewer hours of intense cold in winter and increasingly hot summer days”.
