Interpoma Tours 2024: a firsthand look at industry best practices

Interpoma, the international apple trade fair will take place at Fiera Bolzano between November 21 and 23. It also includes nine technical guided tours in Bolzano province. Fiera Bolzano has organized these guided tours during the three days of Interpoma- It is the world’s only trade show dedicated exclusively to apples, planned between November 21 and 23. The program is now online: A total of nine tours spread over three days taking participants to apple-growing companies in the region: Three on Thursday, November 21, five on Friday, November 22, and one on Saturday, November 23. The tours will be in English to ensure an as big, diverse, and international crowd as possible.

Cutting-edge technologies in the field

Thomas Mur, Director of Fiera Bolzano, says: “The goal is crystal clear: We want our visitors and the press to experience the latest, cutting-edge technologies in the sector firsthand. We also want to raise awareness about the advanced state of apple-growing in the region and showcase some of the most innovative growing and processing systems.”

Tour 1: “Don’t panic... it’s organic! Production and market strategies”

The first tour includes a visit of Franz Ladurner, an organic company in Naturno, and the Juval fruit-growing cooperative’s organic packaging center in Val Venosta, in Castelbello. Franz Ladurner farm’s position is ideal for organic apple-growing, for it boasts a sun-kissed, windy location nestled between the forests and river. Juval is one of the seven fruit-growing cooperatives in Val Venosta, part of the VI.P umbrella group, and processes Val Venosta’s entire organic fruit crop.

Tour 2: “Towards the orchard of the future at the Laimburg R&D Centre”

It will consists of the visit of experimental orchards and the Laimburg Integrated Digital Orchard (LIDO) for the latest innovations in fruit growing. The experimental warehouse will provide insights into the status quo of controlled atmosphere storage and post-harvest research.

Tour 3: “The future is now. High technology and new visions for cultivation”

Visit Manfred Ladurner’s family-run fruit-growing company in Coldrano. Here, he will showcase an example of variety experimentation. The tour then continues to the Texel (VI.P) cooperative in Naturno, another avantgarde company. Already back in 2013, Texel had an automated warehouse which guaranteed immediate retrieval of any of its stored varieties, sorted by color and size, thanks to a dedicated IT solution.

Tour 4: “Varietal experimentation and apple gin distillation”

It includes the visit of Fuji Società Agricola in Laives, an innovative and experimental fruit-growing company which stands out for the vast range of varieties it grows. The tour then proceeds to the Roner distillery in Termeno for a tasting session and a distilling demonstration of Kiku Apple Gin, a London Dry Apple Gin made using Kiku apples employing artisanal methods.

Tour 5: “Apples in the territory, from producer to cooperative”

The program includes a local cooperative and farm. The Grufrut Group in Bronzolo is one of the VOG Consortium’s eleven cooperatives and was founded in 1968. Following various mergers of other local cooperatives, today it boasts around 600 members, totaling around 1,500 hectares of land between Bolzano and Salorno.