This year's Medfel exhibition saw the launch of a new collective brand for plums grown in southwest France, a region responsible for 65 per cent of the country's plum production.
According to Philippe Palezy, president of the national AOP (association of producer organisations) for plums, Lili Ploom will be used by six marketers, Boyer, Sofruitex, Capel, Cancel Fruits, Rouquette and Apifood.
The move follows the creation of Prune du Sud-Ouest, whose role is to establish a link between breeders, producers and marketers.
'This year, our capacity will be limited,' said Palezy, 'but we will see an acceleration in 2014/15 with new varieties that are being observed at Cefel (the fruit and vegetable experimentation centre for the Midi-Pyrénées region). We quickly want to reach a capacity of 1,000 tonnes, with 30ha of planted area.
'Ultimately, the goal is to offer a full Lili Ploom range of red and yellow varieties, the latter being more difficult to find to meet our criteria. Ideally, our season will last from 14 July until September.'
Palezy added that the response from retailers had been positive. The launch will be backed up by animations and tastings at the point of sale.
