Author: Johann Lesacher

The new season for Gala apple started at the beginning of august in our orchards near Nimes (South of France). As from the 2^nd August, apples were send on French markets and were exported. This season characteristic: we were the earliest origin country in Europe. Spain suffered from heat and hail storms. Tree renewal allows us to be the unique supplier during the first part of the season offering good quality products in a large quantity.

Harvest begun in week 33 in our South West orchards (15^th August) and in week 34 (20^th August) in Loire Valley. Our harvest forecast is lower in volume in South West but better in the two others production areas (South East and Loire Valley). In the end, we expect a global Blue Whale harvest a little bit higher to the past year with a better size of fruit and a higher packaging rate in fresh.

Gala orchards keep growing (+10% compared with the past year). This number hides a normal harvest in Western Europe and a progress in Poland and Eastern Europe. Beyond loud production figures, the variety benefits from a good renewal in France and Italy with new clones more colorful. So Gala market is moving fast. In this context, Blue Whale have a large advantage because of its strong effort in renewal!

Follow the link below and watch the French TV report : https://www.lci.fr/societe/tarn-et-garonne-une-recolte-precoce-des-pommes-2096193.html

Fruit Logistica, The international Fruit & Vegetable exhibition was in Berlin the 7th to the 9th of February 2018.

Like every year, Blue Whale was at the heart of the French Pavilion to present its novelties, meet clients and partners but also to inquire on the trends of the latest innovations.

The feedback of this 2018 edition is very positive for our Blue Whale sales team.

See you next year!

As like every year, Blue Whale welcomes you at the Fruit Logistica fair in Berlin. This year, you can meet the team the 7^th, 8^th and 9^th of February on its 100m² stand located in the French Pavilion.

For this edition, the stand decoration has been redesigned, it is more warm, clear and airy, with new colours, new design. And fortunately its accommodation capacity is bigger as it does never empty!

Fruit Logistica is the opportunity to meet customers but also discover innovations on the market.

Save the date and see you until Friday 9^th of February HALL 22 Stand F18!

We announced it exclusivity at the Berlin fair in 2016 and today here we are: Blue Whale sells its own production of Rockit ™ apples Made in France!

Rockit™ is a very small apple sold in recyclable plastic tube! And for its launch, a pop-up store has been set up at the St Lazare train station in Paris from 15 to 24 of January of 2018. You can buy in preview, this 100% natural sweet apple!

Who is little new Rockit™?

5 to 6 centimeters of diameter and 80 to 90 grams: here are its measurements! Born in New Zealand from the natural selection by hybridization of Pacific and Gala apples with a pollinator malus, it grows today in France thanks to 24 Blue Whale fruit-growers present in the Southwest and in the Loire Valley.

A small apple with great potential…

Blue Whale is investing in this new variety, which is both a varietal and commercial innovation: it is the first mini apple sold in the snacking department! A planting program has been established, orchards are now in development. In this way, after a 130 tons produced this season, the Blue Whale growers forecast a harvest of 900 tons within 3 years.

A promising launch in Paris…

In a few days, already hundreds of tubes were sold on the ephemeral shop in St Lazare. A healthy and easy-to-carry snack, ideal for busy travelers who care about their health! Consumer feedback is unanimous: the little Rockit ™ is a delight! It has only assets: it is good, attractive, easy to transport and 100% natural.

From January 25th, you will find it in French points of sale such as Relay, Proxy or in automatic distribution.

Be aware, Rockit™ is the new 2018 star!

• Smallest apple in the World
• Sweety healthy taste, 100% natural
• Tiny skin
• Small core so more flesh to crunch
• Unique pack: in tube!

Joya® apple is one of the last apples harvested. It is picked at the end of November and arrives on stalls now, at the beginning of January, after a few weeks of maturation.

It is the tonic bicolour apple that gives punch for the end of winter! Joya® has a tangy flavour, is very crispy and refreshing in the mouth.

Since the launch of this apple in 2012, Blue Whale wants to develop its orchards.

This year, we reach 4.000 tons of production (+30% from last year). The good weather conditions has promised a beautiful quality of production in our 3 areas: South West, Loire Valley and South East.

Celebrations are over, so be tonic with Joya®!

Blue Whale Chairman, Christophe Belloc presented the Blue Whale General Assembly last Thursday the 14^th of December 2017 at La Muse Cinema in Bressols. It was the opportunity to join together growers, colleagues and stakeholders, so more than 150 people, the aim was to present them what was made on 2016-2017 and future projects.

Christophe Belloc thanks some initiatives awarding Blue Whale trophies, such as :

• Terryloire, a new firm born with the fusion of two packhouses in the Loire Valley (Cafpas and Reinette Fruitière)
• Vergers d’Anjou packhouse for its investment with a new calibrator and cool hall,
• 3 growers for their investment in orchards : Antoine Gangneron (2.6 ha of apple trees or 18% of the total area of his orchard in Loire Valley), Patrice Bax (3.07 ha of kiwifruit and 4 ha of apple trees or 30% of the total area of his orchard in South West of France) and Didier Miollan (21.8 ha of apple trees in South East of France)
• Blue Whale quality department for its involvement in the CSR project (Corporate Social Responsibility).

Today, at the apple midseason, averages are positive for Blue Whale.

Last Wednesday 13^th of December 2017, in Montauban, was the Pink Lady Europe Association General Assembly. An opportunity to present the accounts, future projects but also to reward the work of growers and collaborators. Indeed, a competition was launched to reward “Pink Lady talents”.

Benoit Laforgue, Blue Whale grower and Chairman of Cooperative Novacoop out of 19 application files, had the honor to receive one of the 5 awards.

Benoit produces apples, nuts, hazelnuts and cereals on the border of Garonne near to “humid zones”. An environment where the major part is to fight against flooding improve quality of water and maintain biodiversity. He opened his exploitation to the Midi Pyrénées Nature Association to be able to comprehend better the environment context and to become actor to enhance biodiversity.

This “pilot” project is part of the sustainable responsibility in which Blue Whale Group is committed.

From the 5th to the 7th of December 2017, World of Perishables Dubai welcomes each year more than 4,000 visitors from around 80 countries. It is the leading trade fair for fresh produce in the Middle East, a market where consumption of these commodities is one of the fastest growing in the world. Blue Whale has been there for several years and commercially, this area represents for us 26,000 tons of fruit, so more than 1,300 containers shipped.

WOP is the marketplace for the growing demand for fresh fruits and vegetables. The exhibition on the show reflects the entire chain: from the producer, to the consumer via the export, wholesale and retail trade. This is the opportunity to take contacts with major supermarkets in the region and to open new markets.

The WOP offer is extended by the “Fruitnet Business” forum, to which Marc Peyres, Commercial and Marketing Director of the sector, took part in.

Indeed, Blue Whale was invited to go to a round table on the theme: how to build a successful brand in the Middle East? Interesting brand-focused debates pointed to the importance of having a product behind each brand, because tomorrow brands will be the business of companies or groups of companies and will no longer be collective brands.

The proliferation of new product projects around brands is also a challenge for us all, everywhere and not only in the Middle East. But will there be space for everyone? In apples, only projects that present a real innovation, and above all innovation on taste, will have chances of success. This allowed us to highlight our novelties such as Regalyou, or Novablue and Liliblue but also our involvement in the beautiful Kissabel project: red flesh apples with a unique taste.

To be continued…

On Friday the 15^th of September, the new refrigeration facilities of Novacoop cooperative from the Blue Whale Group was inaugurated.

Novacoop is located in Bessens (in the French department of Tarn & Garonne). It was created in 2002 from the initiative of some growers who wanted to join together to be stronger and to put together their resources. The start was carried out in 2004 with 10,000 tons of fruit. The cooperative joined the “UDC orchards of Blue Whale” in 2009. Today we count 12 members and 20,000 tons of fruit are packed.

The new facilities are located in the commune of Montbartier, in a developing area of ??the Montauban region. In the 3.300m² there are 14 rooms which can store an amount of 340 tons of fruit in new generation fridges installed by Absoger and using the XLO technology.

The inauguration allowed Benoît Laforgue, President, to highlight the dynamism of Novacoop – which went through a difficult period before the 2015 storm but was able to rise again – as well as its ambitions. Cédric Mangin, the director, presented the new logo of the cooperative, pink colored (like the plastic pallox recognizable among all in the region), it is modern and dynamic with a small apple in the center which makes the link.

The young President also thanked his entire group of producers, and in particular Serge Laplace, ex-President, who has worked hard to become a member of the Blue Whale Group.

Other projects are under reflection, so we wish good continuation to Novacoop!

As a pioneer and a leader in the export of French apples to Asia, again this year Blue Whale attended the Fruit Logistica fair in Asia. It is the regional trade fair for the fruit and vegetable sector in the area.

It was the opportunity for our sales and marketing team to meet again all of our Asian customers at the beginning of the season and also to schedule Blue Whale sales and sales demonstrations in the different countries of the zone.

Moreover, it allowed us to highlight our new products like Novablue®, Liliblue®, Rockit®, new plums … but also to taste some varieties in development, on which we base many hopes for this Asian market where the star products are very sweet and without any acidity!

Once again we were able to verify the incredible success of the Zespri Gold® kiwi in Asia which sales increase every month (as well as prices)! This is the most successful over of the last 20 years in Asia both in volume and value.

Asia is a large area as we export to 14 countries: China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Bangladesh and more recently Burma and South Korea. We hope to reopen the Philippines and maybe one day Japan … to follow!