Harvest of Luiza, Venice and Isadora set to reach 4,000 tonnes this season
Italy’s Rivoira Group held an open field day for trade partners and wholesale customers at its orchards in Piemonte last week to mark the start of the new Sambòa apple season.
Visitors had the opportunity to pick a basket of Luiza, the earliest of the three Sambòa varieties, which was just ripe on the tree and ready to be harvested.
According to CEO Marco Rivoira, the commercial campaign officially got underway on 1 September, when the first, freshly harvested apples were sorted, packed, and shipped to the market.
Rivoira said customer expectations are extremely high for the new season after Luiza’s positive debut last year, albeit in limited quantities.
This year’s Luiza harvest is expected to reach 1,800 tonnes, with further volumes of Venice and Isadora – the other two varieties in the Sambòa trio – to follow in September and October.
More than 200ha of Sambòa varieties have been planted so far in Italy, with a further 100ha planned for spring 2025. The Sambòa harvest is set to reach around 4,000 tonnes this season, including 1,800 tonnes of Luiza, 1,200 tonnes of Venice and 1,000 tonnes of Isadora.
The Rivoira Group will be exhibiting at this week’s Asia Fruit Logistica in Hong Kong, where visitors to the stand will have the chance to sample Luiza apples airfreighted from Italy.
