Spanish Picota cherries have enjoyed a particularly strong season this year, with UK retailers reporting double-figure increases in sales of the fruit.
Warm and dry weather in the Jerte Valley from the beginning of June helped extend the Picota harvest, allowing supermarkets to stock the fruit for more than six weeks - a longer-than-average season.
The success of Picota cherries this year has contrasted with the fortunes of stemmed varieties, which saw quality and volume hit for a second year as the result of poor weather. This affected early- and mid-season varieties from Spain and cherries from other major source countries.
Pilar Díaz Flores, technical director of the Cereza de Jerte Denomination of Origin Regulatory Council, said: “Picota cherries have enjoyed a fantastic season with regards to quality. Poor weather during May and the beginning of June caused a reduction in volumes in Jerte Valley’s overall cherry crop of 25 to 30 per cent, but as the Picota variety is harvested later, it didn’t suffer the same weather-related damage as those picked earlier in the season.”
Picota cherries were supported by a promotional campaign in the major retailers, press advertising and public relations, including store radio, floor graphics, and retailer magazines and websites, as well as an information and recipe booklet with holiday offer in packs. On-pack promotions included ‘Kids go free’ and the very popular ‘Free bottle of Cava’ offers.
“Once again, the campaign to support Picota cherries in UK stores and in the media helped us lift the profile of our fruit during its seasons,” said Díaz Flores. “As always, we have had a very positive reaction to the activity from both shoppers and retailers.”
The promotional activity on Picota cherries is part of Foods from Spain’s umbrella campaign for Spanish fresh produce.
Picota cherry is protected by DO status, which is governed by the Cereza de Jerte Denomination of Origin Regulatory Council, which has promoted the fruit in the UK market through Foods from Spain since 1998.
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