“If you want to comfortably eat a meatball in a sandwich, you have to make it flat. If you want a peach or nectarine that is easy to eat as a snack, you have to make it flat: that’s why Ondine was born.” With this image, Joaquin Berges, marketing manager of Frutaria Innovation (Samca Group) made a good idea of what Ondine is. The protagonists of the Ondine project in Italy, Alegra, Cico-Mazzoni, Greenyard, and Naturitalia, organized a morning in the field on July 17, 2025, followed by a visit to Agrintesa’s processing plant in Bagnacavallo (Ravenna).
In Musconi company in Faenza, Ravenna, participants were able to visit an Ondine plant. After an introduction by Enrico Bucchi and Claudia Iannarella, sales and marketing manager of the Alegra Group, respectively, Agrintesa director Cristian Moretti and technician Roberto Colombo responded to the journalists’ inquiries. “Ondine productivity is high,” Colombo pointed out, “with about 30-35 tons per hectare. One could push even more, but we want to maintain a limit in order to ensure high quality. The Brix degrees easily exceed 14 and the color varies depending on the production schedule, but it is always very attractive.”
The production in the field is very interesting,” Moretti said, “also because the target of 1.5 euros per kg to the producer last year was largely achieved. It must also be said that producing Ondine is by no means easy: planting costs are important, just think of the plants and defense structures, as is costly management with the thinning phase and harvesting in several stacks. In short, Ondine gives satisfaction, but it is a cultivation for real professionals.”
After the field visit, there was a move to the Agrintesa plant in Bagnacavallo. Here, Salvo Garipoli of SG Marketing held a conference introduced by Aristide Castellari, president of Agrintesa.
“A round nectarine is a dessert, a flat one is a snack,” said Berges. “In 2021, the Ondine project was born: the perfect pistillary closure is a strength, along with high sweetness and a long commercial calendar. The formats are both bulk and packaged. Such fruits are to be positioned in the snack segment, and for the marketing campaign we used the metaphor of ice cream.”
Garipoli of SG Marketing explained the promotional campaign, which is very much on social media but will also have an impact in stores. And there is also a contest conveyed on all packs with prizes such as bags, trolleys and vacation vouchers.
Enrico Bucchi, commercial director of Alegra, said, “It was and is an energy project, as we are in front of a product that cannot be assimilated to any other, which came to Agrintesa thanks to director Cristian Moretti and the technical department. There are three areas of work: the agronomic one, commercial management, collaboration between the partners and the breeder to create a close-knit team.”
“As Naturitalia, we are always looking for innovative products, and in Ondine we have found an all-round novelty,” began Augusto Renella of Naturitalia. “Commercially, we are in our infancy, but we have already encountered a high level of interest both domestically and abroad. It is a project to be overseen and taken care of, in which all the links of the supply chain must be aligned on a common brand vision.”
“Even a company like ours needs to evolve and change, and this product allows us to do so. The verticalization of production is indispensable, and it also becomes horizontal when integrating with other partners. Ondine is one of the best examples. A project must work when the market demands it. Flat nectarine has ample room for growth. We have organized coordination and there is a good economic return from customers,” said Maicol Galeati, managing director of Greenyard.
Matteo Mazzoni spoke, saying that “You cannot develop a product like this alone, but with close-knit partners. Innovation must be directed. Italian producers are going through difficult times, but this is an opportunity that can give big advantages. All 11 varieties of Ondine have a recognizable flavor and color that consumers like. It is purchased with the eye, regained through taste and convenience, making it a perfect snack.”
Ondine Day closed with a buffet entirely inspired by the flat nectarine, where participants were able to taste the product in different preparations, once again confirming the versatility of a product that represents one of the most promising innovations in the European fruit and vegetable scene.
The meeting was also an opportunity to present the new 2025 communication campaign, entitled “Snack the Summer.” The campaign is designed to immediately and effectively position the product within the snack consumption universe, through a fresh and
To engage the final audience, the“Win Summer with Ondine” consumer contest was also launched, active from July 14 to August 31. The goal is to incentivize purchase, thanks to an attractive prize pool and an instant-win dynamic that stimulates repurchase.
Publication date: Fri Jul 18, 2025
© FreshPlaza.co.uk / Cristiano Riciputi
