Europe’s cherry season has got underway with the first arrivals of Glamour cherries on supermarket shelves. The variety, grown in high-tech glasshouses in northeastern Spain, is the only cherry available anywhere in the world during the months of March and April, a full month before the first early-season imports arrive from California.
Because only a small quantity of the cherries are grown by Lleida-based SAT Edoa, the cherries are famously expensive, leading some to dub them the ‘Red Ferrari’. A 500g bamboo punnet of large-size Glamour cherries can retail for €85-€125 during the eight-week season and they are typically found in upmarket department stores such as Harrods of London.
However, the producer claims the fruit’s superior flavour has been more important in establishing the brand’s reputation than the price tag.
Harvesting for the 2014 season began on 10 March and is due to be completed by 27 April, with around 7,200 tonnes of fruit expected to be marketed in total. The company’s total production area currently covers 50,000m2, with an additional 10,000m2 of young plantations due to enter into production in two years’ time.
“We are proud of the consolidation we have achieved over recent years for the project, business and brand of Glamour cherries, as it ahs become established in each and every country in which we have clients,” said Oscar Ortiz, SAT Edoa’s sales manager.
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