Natoora, a London-based grocer operating a luxury food delivery service to customers across the country, teamed up with Italian exporter Le Riunite recently in order to expand its fresh fruit and vegetable offer.
Natoora counts among its clients some of the UK’s leading restaurants and also operates a direct home-delivery service for consumers, who are able to order a range of produce as well as other items from its dedicated butcher, fishmonger, cheesemonger, dairy, deli, bakery and drinks department.
According to Le Riunite, which is based in Savona to the west of Genoa in north-eastern Italy, Natoora is already sourcing a broad range of vegetables from the company and will soon be adding fruit to the mix. The exporter is particularly excited about the prospects for premium items like apricots from Valleggia, arguably one of Liguria’s most renowned fruits. “The collaboration between the companies doesn’t end with selling the products,” director Franco Rossello told local news group IVG. “We are going to develop a cultural exchange which will see several local growers present their Savonesi products to restaurateurs in London as well as young English chefs spending time with local producer companies. That experience will lead to a better knowledge of our products and our production techniques.”
Founded in 2001 in Paris, Natoora originally brought together a network of 120 French farmers delivering fresh food to Paris and, subsequently, the whole of France. Three years later, the concept was introduced in the UK, enabling the group to offer a similar fresh-food delivery service in London and eventually extend that operation to the rest of the country. In 2007, Natoora merged with Portobello Food Company, a supplier of Italian food to homes in London and around the UK.
Meanwhile, the Italian strawberry season was getting fully underway in towards the end of May, with confidence returning to the sector following several years of relative decline brought about by falling demand and rising costs. This year, the country’s production area is expected to increase by four per cent compared with last year’s figure to 3,700ha, buoyed by renewed investment in varietal research. Harvesting has already begun in Basilicata and Campania in the south of the country, and is set to be followed by emerging key player Veneto as well as Emilia-Romagna in the north. Subsequently, the slack will be picked up by Italy’s leading soft-fruit supplier Trentino South Tyrol.
Crucially, according to Italian fresh produce marketing agency CSO, a diverse range of varieties grown across the country makes it an interesting supplier for customers around Europe. “The strawberries have different peculiarities depending on the region of provenance,” explains CSO’s head of communications, Alessandra Ravaioli. “Thanks to this clever distribution across the country’s various production areas, producers are able to be present on the market from spring until late autumn.” -
No comments yet