Month: September 2025

Perfect ripeness: when is the best time to harvest our apples?

Harvesting an apple at just the right moment is key to ensuring it reaches the consumer with the best taste, texture, and color. The optimal point is when the fruit has a perfect balance between sweetness, acidity, firmness, and color.

  • Sugar level: determines the sweetness of the fruit
  • Acidity: balances the sugars and defines the final tasteç
  • Firmness: indicates the hardness of the flesh
  • Color: each variety has color parameters that indicate when to harvest

At Giropoma, we use very precise technical criteria to decide when to harvest each variety. The aim is to ensure that each apple has the size, taste, and appearance that provide the most value to the consumer.

Each variety has its own calendar

Not all apples ripen at the same rate. Varieties such as Gala reach their peak earlier, while others, such as Pink Lady® or Joya®, need more time on the tree to achieve their optimal taste and appearance. That is why the harvest calendar is flexible and adapted to each season. The goal is always the same: to harvest the apple at the exact moment when it expresses the best of its taste and appearance.

  • Gala: during the month of August, it is one of the first varieties to be harvested.
  • Golden: in mid-September, when it achieves its characteristic sweetness and greenish-yellow color.
  • Red Delicious: in September, when it reaches its intense red color.
  • Candine®: a late September variety, with a very fine balance between sweetness and freshness.
  • Granny Smith: in October, harvested at just the right point of refreshing acidity.
  • Fuji: also in October, with the perfect balance between sweetness and firmness.
  • Pink Lady®: one of the last to be harvested, in late October and November, when it achieves its characteristic pink color and intense flavor.
  • Joya®: harvested between November and December, it is the last of the season and stands out for its crunchy texture and intense flavor.

At Giropoma, we carefully select each apple, respecting its natural ripening time so that it reaches the market in peak condition.

Technical exchange and innovation: Giropoma in Piemonte

From July 20 to 22, Giropoma participated in a technical trip to Piemonte, one of Italy’s most important apple-producing regions. The meeting provided an opportunity to explore aspects of varietal innovation, production, sustainability, and automation, as well as to exchange experiences with key players in the sector.

The trip began with a visit to the Agrion Research Center, which acts as a link between research and the production sector. There, ongoing projects related to new varieties, plant protection strategies, and sustainable practices were presented.

A meeting was also held with local technicians to share experiences on thinning strategies, the effects of climate change, and new pests. The exchange was very enriching and allowed parallels to be drawn with the reality of Girona, as did the visits to the farms of the Coldiretti and Coop Jolly s.c. groups, where different training systems and varietal strategies were demonstrated.

The trip ended with a visit to the Rivoira Group’s logistics center, where the strong commitment to digitization and automation was evident. The warehouse has state-of-the-art storage and calibration towers, AGV carts, vertical warehouses, and highly robotized packaging lines.

The technical trip to Piemont was a valuable experience for understanding the productive reality of this region, which has many points in common with our own.