Spanish persimon sales to the UK have hit record levels with the industry reporting shipments have more than doubled this season.
Growers say a total of 1,234 tonnes of fruit were sent to the UK in the 2011 to 2012 season compared to 516 tonnes last year.
British supermarkets estimate approximately five million persimons were sold during the Spanish season.
The fruit is promoted by Food from Spain, which holds sampling events and produces educational labels on packs in supermarkets and writes about Persimon for the media.
Retailers contributed to the Foods from Spain campaign this season with sampling days, stock and extra print runs of promotional labels as well as increased listings of multiple pack formats of between two to four persimon.
Rafael Perucho, head of the regulatory council, Kaki de la Ribera del Xúquer Plaça, which controls the DO certification for the fruit, said: “We are really pleased with this growth for Spanish persimon in the UK, where demand has increased significantly for another successive year.
“A strong promotional package for this exotic fruit during its season in stores and in the media, coupled with great support from our retailer customers, has combined to make the persimon more popular than even some mainstream categories of produce.”
María José Sevilla, director of foods from Spain, said: “Our campaign to promote the Spanish persimon has focused on education and trial.
“This is a new fruit for many shoppers, so we give them opportunities to find out about its taste, where it comes from, how easy it is to eat - and, crucially, opportunities to try it.
“The incredible growth in sales of the persimon is a great success story for Spanish fresh produce, particularly when you consider this fruit was virtually unknown to UK shoppers just a few years ago.”
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