SAT Royal has announced plans to send its first consignment of Pluots to Hong Kong, marking its first incursion into the Asian market. The Seville-based grower-exporter was a first-time exhibitor at last week’s Asia Fruit Logistica trade fair where president José Gandía said he had received a high level of interest from Asian buyers.
“We see an interesting market here for those able to supply exceptional quality fruit,” Gandía told Fruitnet. “We’re starting with Pluots partly because they are the only variety available at this time of year but also because it is the kind of innovative product the Asian market is looking for.”
Royal is the only European producer of Pluots, a cross between a plum and an apricot with a smooth multi-coloured skin and sweet flesh.
The company also sees good potential in China for its other main product, blueberries, even though their production season overlap and the market is not open for Spanish-grown fruit.
“China is planting a phenomenal amount of blueberries and production is set to explode in the coming years,” Gandía said. “However, up to now the quality of the domestic offer is still inferior to imports so we think it might be possible to position ourselves as a premium niche supplier.”
SAT Royal has dramatically increased its planted area in blueberries in recent years and now has around 400ha under production in Morocco.
