UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland concluded the harvest at the end of October with the red skin and flesh varieties.

With the harvest of the Rouge variety, distinctive for its red skin and flesh, the Kissabel® sales season in Europe kicks into top gear. In fact, October marked the end of the harvest season of the revolutionary range of coloured-flesh apples in the UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. 

Harvest

British partner Worldwide Fruit was the first to begin harvesting, having begun marketing pink flesh and yellow and orange skin varieties in October. “For the yellow skin varieties, we have had the best fruits to date, with excellent internal colour and exceptional flavour,” comments the company’s commercial director Hannah McIlfatrick. “Given the quality of the fruit, we are very enthusiastic about the new season, which will run until February-March.” 

“We’ve had a good harvest,” agrees Jens Anderson, Kissabel® marketing manager of the Red Apple Germany Consortium. Italian members also began picking the red variety at the end of October. Alongside the Melinda and VIP Consortiums, this year’s harvest will also be boosted by partner Rivoira, increasing availability and extending the season. In fact, the increase in production and the excellent quality of the harvest will see the Italian Kissabel® season run until Christmas.

The red varieties will also be available to Blue Whale and Mesfruits in France and Fenaco in Switzerland, together with the Kissabel® Jaune and Kissabel® Orange.

Marketing campaigns

With the completion of the Kissabel® harvest, the marketing campaigns in Europe are intensifying. Halloween was a central theme in various countries, also because it allows consumers to use the Red Inside apple in lots of creative ways. “The October campaign culminated at Halloween,” confirms Mcilfatrick, “and now we will continue our activities between November and January.” We are enthusiastic about the new season. Kissabel® is a bold and revolutionary addition to the apple category, a completely unique fruit!” 

There were also a lot of Halloween-related in-store promotions and social media activities, as well as PR activities, in France, as Christelle Bertin, marketing and communication manager at Blue Whale, confirms. “The campaign began in October and will run until the end of December,” Bertin confirms, “but we are also preparing long-term plans focusing on French consumers as well as the Asian markets.” 

The sales season will also be longer in Italy, with a focus on the consumer. “The increase in volumes will enable us to expand our presence in the retail market,” explains Fabio Zanesco, spokesman of the Kissabel® Italian marketing committee. “This is particularly important not only for meeting the high demand of the market but also in order to more broadly analyse the purchasing and consumption methods of such a new and unique apple.” 

Halloween also saw the start of marketing activities in Germany, which continued after 31 October with the Red Baking event, a competition dedicated to consumers who love baking. 

The Swiss campaign, which began in September with the Orange and in mid-October with the Rouge, will conclude in December.