This is an early-harvest mandarin with a thin peel and an intense reddish-orange colour. It is easy to peel and virtually seedless. Among its most notable attributes are its high juice content and the balance between sweetness and acidity, a combination that clearly responds to today’s European consumer demand for flavourful, ready-to-eat fruit with premium characteristics from the very start of the season.
A distinctive alternative
Earlyna® reaches the market at a time when mandarin supply is still limited. Its harvest window, running approximately from 20–25 October through mid-December, allows it to fill a strategic gap: a period in which traditional varieties such as Clemenules are just beginning to ripen, while late mandarins like Tango or Nadorcott are not yet available.
This positioning makes Earlyna® a key piece in ensuring a continuous supply of high-quality mandarins in Europe.
Long-distance travel, shelf life and leafy presentation
One of the attributes most valued by operators is its excellent postharvest performance, both in on-tree holding and during long-distance shipping, maintaining firmness and quality even weeks after reaching maturity. It has already been successfully shipped to markets such as Brazil, Canada and the United Arab Emirates, where it has shown very good performance at retail.
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In addition, the fruit’s arrangement on the tree facilitates harvesting with leaves attached, an aspect highly appreciated by European retailers seeking visually attractive mandarins with a distinctive, “natural” appearance.
A long-term project
The management of Earlyna® is overseen by EVAM and the Club de Variedades Protegidas, an alliance that combines technical expertise and commercial oversight. Cultivation is contractually limited to 2,000 ha on the Iberian Peninsula to maintain sustainable prices and a stable supply. At present, plantings total between 300 and 400 ha, with most expansion taking place in the Valencia region, followed by Tarragona and Andalusia.
