The apple sector chooses Macfrut Digital

The apple sector chooses MACFRUT DIGITAL (8-10 September 2020) and the opportunity it offers to make new business contacts. In fact, all the major apple producers and consortia – apples are Italy’s most exported fruit – have also joined the event. The apple sector is one of the most dynamic sectors of the Italian fruit and vegetable industry, which has taken further steps towards internationalisation since the recent opening of the Thai and Vietnamese markets. At Macfrut Digital will attend key players in the sector as Melinda, La Trentina, Rivoira, VIP and VOG. Participants will also include leading Italian fruit and vegetable exporters such as Alegra, Apofruit, Granfrutta Zani, Jingold, Mazzoni, Naturitalia, Novafruit, Opera, Opo Veneto, Oranfrizer, Origine, RK Growers and Spreafico. The campaign to promote exhibiting companies continues: webinars have been organised to allow anyone interested to find out more about Macfrut Digital. The next webinars are scheduled for Tuesday, 14 July (11am) and Thursday, 16 July (3pm). The apple sector has its sayWhy has the apple sector chosen Macfrut Digital? Here is what those involved had to say. Andrea Fedrizzi, Marketing and Communications Manager of Melinda: ‘For many years now, Macfrut has been a benchmark event for professionals working in the Italian and European fruit and vegetable industry, as well as being an occasion for us to meet some of our major customers, our production partners and other sector specialists. Although it was impossible to host a physical event this year, it is still extremely important for us to participate. First of all, it will help us to examine the situation and better understand how it will evolve and to assess the impact that this health emergency has had on our sector, since it has inevitably changed and will continue to change the way we live and work. I believe our participation also somehow demonstrates how resilient our companies are, as they are always ready to adapt to new situations and work together in a cohesive way.’ Marco Rivoira, CEO of Gruppo Rivoira: ‘For our Group, exporting has always been a key market strategy based on establishing close and long-lasting relationships with our customers all over the world. The Covid-19 emergency has prompted us to reinvent ourselves from a commercial standpoint; it has been a major challenge, but we gladly accepted it and were willing to get involved in a new way, that is online business meetings, web conferences and, last but not least, by participating in a virtual or digital trade fair such as Macfrut 2020. The world is changing and so is our strategic sector: as a result, we are renewing ourselves so that we can grow and improve as professionals and as a company.’ Fabio Zanesco, commercial manager of VIP: ‘This is a completely new situation for us, and our sector now needs to have a meeting place – which has to be virtual given the current global circumstances – so that we can analyse the situation and rekindle our desire to exchange views. As apple producers, we have been working intensively to be able to guarantee supplies during the most critical stages of the crisis. The time has come to look ahead to the coming season and adopt a more creative approach so that we can tackle changes together with our customers, partners and suppliers. Exchanging ideas is essential so that we do not keep repeating what we have always done. I also think that hosting a “digital” version of the event was definitely the best decision the organisers could make; we are preparing ourselves so that we can make the most out of the tools that Macfrut will provide us with. See you in September!’ Walter Pardatscher, General Manager of VOG (Consortium of South Tyrolean Fruit Growers’ Co-operatives): ‘Innovation and flexibility have always been the core values of our Consortium: these two aspects are essential for us to be able to respond to market changes. And this year especially, because of the pandemic, they have proved to be crucial. So we were naturally delighted when the organisers announced that they would host Macfrut Digital, which is a clever solution to turn a critical situation into an opportunity. We will introduce the unique features of the VOG Consortium, which is the ideal partner for Italian and international customers: we offer an extensive range of superior quality apples along with powerful, well-known brands that are professionally managed and, above all, popular among consumers. And we do this throughout the year.’