Prospects are excellent for DulcisTM, the innovative green kiwifruit with all the qualities of yellow kiwifruit developed by New Plant in Forlì in collaboration with the Universities of Udine and Bologna. Production and marketing is exclusively carried out worldwide by the co-operative companies Alegra, Apofruit Italia, and Orogel Fresco. During Fruit Logistica 2024, Berlin’s international fruit and vegetable exhibition, DulcisTM was presented to the international public with an exclusive event: many topics were discussed, including the project’s future developments, both from a production and commercial standpoint.
Mirco Montefiori, Chairman of DulcisTM Kiwifruit Company, commented: “The high emotional content that DulcisTM kiwifruit conveys to consumers reflects the great satisfaction that this novel cultivar, 100% made in Italy, is bringing us at a commercial level. The figures emerging from the first trading season are extremely positive, which leads us to be optimistic about the future as well. DulcisTM, in other words, is a variety that allows the entire kiwifruit segment to be revitalised and renewed, creating value throughout the supply chain.”
The Foundations of DulcisTM Success
In addition to the health aspect, this new kiwifruit, which is characterised by a unique taste and a high brix level, is unique in the entire segment and, at the same time, a premium product regardless of size. It also has very positive characteristics in the field: its strengths include its good tolerance to the Mediterranean climate, which means that it can be commercially managed without the need for costly interventions, such as rainproof netting. It is therefore an ideal fruit for everyone: producers, distributors and consumers.
Positive reception from consumers
Consumer tests, carried out at several Italian large-scale distribution stores, also offered very positive feedback. After tasting it, 95% of respondents said they would buy it again. Its sweetness was a decisive factor: more than 50% found it to be sweeter than Hayward. Moreover, as many as 45% of the surveyed sample described the fruits tasted as “excellent”, while 35% who considered them “very good”.
2023/24 saw the opening of the first commercial campaign, with 62% of the quantities destined for the Italian market, 14% for the Netherlands, 13% for Germany, 8% for Spain and 3% for Belgium. In Italy, where the largest supply is concentrated, the sales trend is proving to be very positive: in the pre-Christmas period, sales rose from 2 to over 10 tonnes in just four weeks. 2024 also got off to a positive start, rising in the first three weeks of the year from 8 to 14 tonnes. In general, sales forecasts for 2023/2024 are close to 300 tonnes, but the goal is to reach around 800 as early as 2024/2025, and then to increase to 2,400, 5,600 and 9,400 tonnes in the following three marketing seasons.
New cultivation areas
Today, DulcisTM is mainly cultivated in Emilia-Romagna and Lazio, but new cultivation areas are also developing in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Basilicata and Calabria. The growth in land coverage has been exponential: in 2019, when the project started, the first pre-commercial land was planted, rising to 5 hectares in 2020, 21 in 2021 and 49 in 2022, culminating in last year’s breakthrough of 166 hectares. The goal for 2025 is to reach 500 hectares. Production increased from 84 tonnes in 2022 to 298 tonnes in 2023. The projection for 2024 is just under 800 tonnes, rising to more than 2,400 tonnes in 2025, more than 5,600 tonnes in 2026 and 9,400 tonnes in 2027.
