Kikokà Europe entrusts the commercial management to Alberto Raviolo

Kikokà Europe has recently begun harvesting 2026, and the official launch of sales is scheduled for mid-October. Sales will be coordinated by the new commercial director, Alberto Raviolo.

Alberto Raviolo, a forty-year-old manager from Piedmont, graduated in Business Economics with a dissertation on the commercial strategy of the Ambrosia apple. He developed his professional career within the Rivoira Group – master licensee of the Kikokà project – where he will retain an operational role in the management of Hayward kiwifruit and summer fruit, particularly cherries.

Europe as the primary market, with an eye on Overseas

“I have followed the project since the Rivoira Group acquired the master licence for the worldwide development of the varieties,” says Alberto Raviolo. “We are in the third year of commercialisation, and the estimated volumes make an organisational leap necessary. The target market continues to be primarily Europe, where the penetration rates of yellow kiwifruit leave considerable room for growth. In the first phase of the commercial campaign, which we will tackle with our early variety, we are aware that we will have to contend with a significant presence of product from the Southern Hemisphere. However, we are confident that the work carried out in the fields by the producers, supported by our agronomic team, and the recognisability of the brand will have a positive impact on the market. At the same time, we will also look to overseas markets, with new commercial tests in the Americas, the Middle East and Asia. At European level, Italy, Germany and the Nordic countries remain the main targets, with a strong focus on developing Italian Gdo.”

Production

Kikokà yellow kiwifruit production – estimated at over 10.000 tonnes, compared with approximately 4.400 last season – is spread across 4 countries (Italy, Greece, France and Spain), and the Consortium directly coordinates 5 warehouses: in Italy, two packing centres for conventional produce and one for organic produce; in Greece, two facilities for conventional produce. In France, a warehouse will serve the French market.

“Kikokà’s commercial focus remains the second half of the season, with plans to allocate significant quantities between February, March and April,” concludes the new commercial director. “However, the growth in volumes also allows us to work on extending the commercialisation window, while maintaining constant attention to the opportunities that arise during the first part of the season.”

The Consortium strengthens its organisation

Alberto Raviolo joining as the new commercial director is part of a broader strengthening of Kikokà’s organisation: a commercial back office has been set up at the Bologna offices; a new member of staff has strengthened the administration, and a new professional has joined the technical and quality department.

“In recent months, we have strengthened our organisation to manage the project’s growth as effectively as possible,” says Fabio Zanesco, CEO of Kikokà. “We have focused on qualitative work, to organise the producers with ever greater efficiency and monitor the different lots. We have developed a management matrix that links the intrinsic quality of the fruit with its storability, in order to guide the product through the commercial campaign with ever greater precision. We have also appointed a tax representative in Greece, enabling us to operate directly in the Greek market and with a view to exports. And in the face of increasingly structured processes, we have also decided to embark on the process of obtaining Ifs Broker certification.”

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.