David Del Curto has opened a new facility in Requinoa to the south of Santiago, equipped with a state-of-the-art Aweta kiwifruit processing line, to handle a planned increase in production of Sweeki-branded kiwifruit.
The Chilean grower-exporter, which became part of the Origine Group consortium last year, held an event to celebrate the inauguration of the new plant for 300 guests including Chile’s Agriculture Minister Antonio Walker Prieto.
“The new processing line is particularly interesting for Origine Group as it will be used to supply our top-quality kiwifruit to be sold with the Sweeki brand,” said Alessandro Zampagna, Origine’s general manager.
David Del Curto used the occasion to hold a meeting with other kiwifruit growers to explore the possibility of increasing their Sweeki production.
The meeting focused on orchard management aimed at high quality, and on the commercial aspects of the global sales of Sweeki kiwifruit by the Origine Group.
Between them, the ten companies that make up the group (nine from Italy and one from Chile) produce more than 120,000 tonnes of kiwifruit a year.
Around 1,000 tonnes of Sweeki-branded Chilean kiwifruit was exported this season, the main destination being the Asian market.
“Our Chilean member David Del Curto aligns totally with the philosophy of the Origine Group: to provide our international clients with a consistently high quality product and service throughout the year,” Zampagna said.
With a combined turnover of €1bn, the Origine Group consortium was founded in August 2015 by nine leading Italian fresh produce companies to focus on new varieties and emerging markets. Initially its emphasis has been on pears and kiwifruit, but ultimately its goal is to develop other product lines.
