Fri-El Green House (H2Orto brand) is betting on the new Strabena tomato. It is a midi cherry truss variety from De Ruiter with a strawberry shape. "A few months of tests in our greenhouses, during which we grew around 600 plants, confirmed its great potential. Next season, we will grow around 9000 plants and aim to reach 18 thousand plants in the summer of 2023," explains Davide D'Ignoto.
For the company that owns the hydroponic crops in Ostellato (Ferrara), commercialization already started abroad last year, and it will start in Italy this year. "We already have agreements to sell the produce abroad, and more precisely in Austria, where we aim to increase quantities considering the great success of the past season."
Strabena fruits weigh 20-25 grams and boast a high brix level (8-9 on average). After last year's positive tests abroad, Strabena is ready to make its debut in Italy around mid-October.
Talking about the general situation, D'Ignoto confirms that production costs have more than doubled for Fri-El Green House as well. As for the cultivated area, he reports that "we will have 30 hectares by 2023, 15 winter and 15 summer ones."
As for sales, the first six months of 2022 went well for the company. "If we focus on Strabena, tasting sessions abroad indicated it as one of the best options available. It has been sampled in Italy, and we will soon find it on supermarket shelves, as some chains have requested it."
"We are always evolving, looking for new challenges made possible by our greenhouses. For this reason, we are proceeding with tests on melons as well as on papayas and mangos."
For further information
H2ORTO
Via delle Serre 1
44020 Ostellato (Ferrara) - Italy
+39 0533 57411
www.h2orto.it