Philippe Toulemonde, Nurseryman, President of Star Fruits

“Born just after a fruit crises of the early 90’s, the Pink Lady ® project has given the French arboreal milieu renewed hope and a reason to believe in this work once again.  It allowed them to raise the bar  and to invest once again as the launches of Fuji and Braeburn were reduced as a result of the trivialization of these varieties due to the lack of structured market approach and marketing support.

20 years later, despite difficult campaigns, producers can rely on secure programs such as Pink Lady ® and that changes everything. Star Fruits wanted a collective organization and marketing support for Pink Lady ® because we wanted to strengthen the valuation of innovation with the support of all stakeholders in the chain who come together for a beautiful product, each bringing their own experience and expertise. This idea of partnership between stakeholders was new and aroused significant  skepticism …before convincing anyone. They had a fantastic team of professionals from 30 to 40 years old, full of enthusiasm, and spearheaded by the dynamic Didier Crabos.

After taking the plunge and testing Red Winter, the Pink Lady ® marketing project has constituted genuine innovation in the world of apples and fruit. At the same time, it was necessary to forbid operators to promote their own brand, which was not always easy, since independence is a major character trait of business leaders.

For the next 20 years, it will be important to maintain team spirit and confidence despite inevitable personnel changes. It will also be necessary to stay the course with regards to quality in order to remain the leader in the premium apple segment, to resist new competition, to continue to develop at a measured pace, to continue to make people dream and especially to satisfy the consumer. We must absolutely avoid sinking into the banality of an American red!  We must also continue to support the maintenance of tree growing on a human scale.

Hubert Veauvy, Nurseryman, former President of Star Fruits

“Hard times always lead to new ideas.  It was during one of this periods that the Pink Lady ® project was establishment.  It was not born b,y chance but through the desire to launch this exceptional variety in the context of a project sector. Or: ” Give the consumer a quality product and give the sector’s stakeholders the means to produce and live off of it ”

It is the meeting and membership of nurserymen, license managers, producers and market directors, to this project which has helped make Pink Lady ® a product. Everyone has fulfilled their function through a respectful partnership to satisfy the consumer. It is also the enthusiasm of Dominique Toulemonde, then President of Star Fruits, of Albert Giamattei, arborist,  of Didier Crabos , marketer and President of the European Pink Lady ® Association, and many others who have given their support since the beginning.  During these twenty years, the stakeholders worked for the project’s evolution, always with the same objective, having a reasonable perspective in an international market.  These objectives helped establish that stakeholders could develop their activities with better safety, which was an important element for agricultural production.

In a difficult context for our arboriculture, where we see the ability of production reduce, we maintain for Pink Lady ® our ability to develop.  For us to keep our dynamism and our rigor to not deceive the consumer and to maintain the spirit conquest towards new markets and new opportunities.

Let us continue to be imaginative, to renew and remain confident in our product.  Future success still needs to be built and this success will belong to the sector’s stakeholders and partners who have to same objective: to keep the promise made to the consumer.  Naturally, over time, the context, the production, and the environment will change, man as well. It is the partnership between actors at all levels that has allowed for shared the success Pink Lady ® project. Tomorrow, our success will also be than of man. “