"The price of fennel has not been high lately. The close festivities, such as Easter, Easter Monday, 25 April, and the May Day holiday, have almost wiped out the market. A domino effect that particularly affected the big cities such as Milan where, due to the general holiday rush, the fruit and vegetable markets were practically deserted," reports Ciro Paolillo who, together with his siblings Mariapia and Gennaro, is a founding partner and sales manager of the Campania-based company Paolillo, specialising in fennel. "Schools closed, many organised mini-breaks, and entire families went abroad. This caused a drop in consumption on a large scale, generating an unreliable scenario for analysing the actual demand for the product."
Mariapia and Ciro Paolillo at Fruit Logistica 2025
Stable prices, but Campania's fennel is currently making the difference
Despite the fact that the market has been dead, fennel has maintained a certain regularity in prices. "We have not recorded any major fluctuations. Prices have remained low but steady. However, things seem to have changed since mid-May. "We switched to the Agro Nocerino-Sarnese product, a new fennel that has already won over our customers. The difference compared to winter products, which are now at the end of the campaign, such as those from Puglia, is clear, and the market is rewarding: we are registering a slight increase in prices."
Looking ahead to the summer months, Paolillo remains cautious. "The next campaign will be in Fucino with summer fennel. But, as always, everything will depend on the weather as drought, rain, and temperatures play a decisive role."
Fennel, the king of Italian vegetables
In addition to market dynamics, Ciro Paolillo emphasises the strategic importance of fennel for the Italian fruit and vegetable identity. "It is a product that represents Italy like few others, as 99% of European fennel is produced in our country. In Germany and the Netherlands, it is only grown in small quantities and only in summer. Fennel is therefore the real king of Italian vegetables."
Loose or packaged? The market rewards tradition
Finally, a look at consumption habits. "In our case, about 70-80% of fennel is sold loose. Packaged fennel accounts for the remaining 20%, with a predominance of fixed weight. We have noticed a growth in the packaged options over the past few years, mainly thanks to new customers, but the preference remains for the bulk product."
Article photos provided by the Paolillo company
For more information:
Paolillo s.r.l.
Via Stabia, 254
80057 Naples - Italy
Tel.: +39 393 9361160
Fax: +39 081 8738791
www.paolillosrl.com
www.buonoinognimomento.it