FRANCE | After the success of the sales campaign in Europe and North America, the development of Kissabel continued with the new harvest in the southern hemisphere.
The striking range of apples with flesh that varies from pink to intense red continues to develop in Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa, thanks to the IFORED programme partners in these countries.
“Kissabel is fortunate to be able to count on high-calibre international partners,” said Emmanuel de Lapparent, head of the IFORED programme.
“Producers in the southern hemisphere are focused on testing the different varieties in their respective climates and markets. In terms of increasing the availability of our range on the global market, we are heading in the right direction.”
Australia is at the most advanced stage of development. Here, the growers at Montague Farms have begun harvesting, which will involve yellow-skinned and pink-fleshed varieties, as well as those with both red skin and flesh.
The harvest will be supplemented with new varieties which have been tested over the last few years to guarantee their excellent flavour and increasingly eye-catching, red-coloured flesh.
Although marketing is still in its early stages in terms of volume, Montague Farms is investing in the growth of the brand.
Kissabel made an appearance on Sunrise, one of Australia’s most popular morning television shows, and was a phenomenal hit at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, where the apple was sampled to over 50,000 people and TV presenter and author Alice Zaslavsky hosted a sold-out Kissabel cooking demonstration.
There will also be sampling events involving influencers and food outlets.
“The goal is to construct a strong brand, so we are ready to increase volumes in the next few years,” explains Michelle Hau, Marketing Manager of Montague Farms.
“We are particularly interested in young foodies, the perfect target audience for an innovation product like Kissabel.”
Kissabel is also making progress in South America thanks to the work of partners Moño Azul in Argentina and Unifrutti in Chile.
“The main objective this season is to confirm which varieties adapt best to our land so we can open new commercial plantations,” said Marcelo Galardini, Sales Director of Moño Azul.
“In the meantime, we will begin promoting Kissabel apples on the local market to raise their profile among our customers.”
Argentinean production is mainly focused on the varieties with red flesh and skin.
This is also the main variety in Chile, where different cultivars are currently being tested.
“This season, we will send product samples to one of our customers in Brazil with the aim of expanding commercial production,” said Cristian Matte, Commercial Manager of Unifrutti Chile.
Dutoit Group (South Africa) began planting its first semi-commercial orchards in 2023, focusing on red skin and red flesh varieties and achieved this year its first harvest of Kissabel apples.
“We are very excited about the quality of the harvest: the apples developed an intense and vibrant red colour, especially in warmer regions. A pleasant surprise was the change in texture when apples reached maturity, also allowing the flavour to fully develop,” said Willie Cotze, Technical Manager at Dutoit.
“This result was met with great enthusiasm by both our marketing team and local retailers. We will be introducing Kissabel apples to a group of local media, influencers and retail customers to test the visual and tasting experience of this unique product.”
The testing phase is also currently underway in New Zealand with the partner Yummy Fruit.
