After the signature in Milan at the end of last June, Rivoira, RK Growers and VI.P Val Venosta officially presented their joint venture for the exclusive and joint management of the Asian market (Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, Korea and Japan) in Hong Kong today.

Omnifresh™, as this joint venture is called, will start operating with the European 2018/19 apple season with the aim of progressively expanding its field of action to other fruits, periods and origins with a “trademark” that guarantees a high-end positioning and a professional and punctual service.

The aims and potential of this joint venture were presented to both clients and trade press during a press conference. The three Italian groups of the joint venture already have numerous contacts in different countries of the Asian continent, some of which are already in the realization phase with delivery programs from the next weeks.

The project was introduced by Paolo Carissimo, President of RK Growers, followed by a detailed in-depth presentation by Kevin Au Yeung who will operationally manage relationships with clients from neighboring countries from the Hong Kong office, enabling Omnifresh™ to respond to the market faster, on site and with a focus on the needs of importers and retailers.

3M3B

Among the keystones of Omnifresh™ are

•the total volumes that allow the members to choose their products from more than 400,000 tons of apples to guarantee quality and continuity on the target markets;
•the huge varietal diversity – be it for traditional varieties, club varieties and innovative products such as Ambrosia™ - thanks to strong investments in innovation by the partners;
•the direct management of the supply chain from the orchard to delivery thanks to two producers – Rivoira and VI.P Val Venosta – and the commercial and logistical infrastructure and experience of RK Growers.

This was all summarized in a strategy called 3M3B where “M” stands for “more” and “B” stands for “better”: more varieties, more flexibility, more competitiveness, better quality, better service, better understanding of client needs.

After the presentation the partners were available for further questions that – among others – touched on the issues of varietal development, which is particularly interesting for the Asian market due to an orientation towards sweeter apples suitable for local consumers and organic production where Omnifresh™ could play a leading role thanks to nearly 1,000 hectares of organic production areas available in Val Venosta (already certified or in the conversion phase).

The Omnifresh™ partners will be present in Hall 3B, booths D08 and E18 during the fair.