Stéphane Place 08h25, 02 April 2023
Strawberries have arrived on the shelves, with a challenge for producers: how to maintain a reasonable price for the consumer despite rising costs? For their part, consumers are willing to pay a little more for good quality strawberries, such as Label Rouge gariguettes.This is clearly a sign of the arrival of spring. Strawberries are already on the shelves a little ahead, but above all with a challenge for farmers: to maintain a reasonable price despite rising production costs and Spanish competition. Fortunately, the French strawberry has assets to show.
Consumers willing to pay more for better quality
"You have to make sacrifices, but for products, to have fun, it must be very good or you don't take it," says a customer, tray in hand. "Spanish strawberries taste like water while gariguettes are delicious," comments another.
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Consumers crossed at the Bordeaux market of the Capucins have chosen French strawberries, even if it means paying a little more. Sylvie Delaurier, president of the Lot-et-Garonne fruit and vegetable association, is delighted with this.
This strawberry producer assures him: trays remain affordable despite the inflation of energy and raw materials. "We should find the tray of gariguettes of 250 grams around 2.50 €. After, we have the gariguette Label rouge, it's the top quality and the tray should turn around 3.50 € or 4 €, "she explains.
Precise criteria for the Red Label strawberry
And if the Label rouge strawberry has taste, it is because it must meet specific criteria. "It's a minimum of 7 sugar levels," explains Julie Lajoinie, in charge of quality control. "The small trays are mixed and the extract of this juice allows us to have a sugar level that must match, otherwise it is not marketed in Red Label." Depending on the year, the Label Rouge strawberry represents between 3 and 5% of production.