Unity is strength.
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Our history

There is a long tradition of fruit growing in South Tyrol - Südtirol. As early as the 16th century, couriers transported fresh fruit and preserves along the Etschtal Valley to the Austrian and Russian courts. The opening of the Brenner railway in 1867 provided a triumphant entry into Europe. Following an increase in sales, the first fruit cooperative was founded in Lagundo in 1893, which was soon followed by many others. Not even the Second World War was able to halt the success of fruit produced in South Tyrol - Südtirol. On 24 August 1945, embracing the motto ‘Unity is strength’, many cooperatives formed a new consortium.

This was how VOG, the Consortium of South Tyrolean Fruit Growers’ Cooperatives, was founded.

From the initial 9 cooperatives, it quickly grew into the largest apple marketing organisation in all of Europe, currently comprising 11 cooperatives. This includes 4,600 producers who, in an area of around 10,900 hectares, harvest between 550,000 and 600,000 tonnes of top-quality, excellent-tasting fruit.

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1945
1945
On 24th August the VOG was founded and Josef Ungericht was elected as the first chairman.
1959
1959
On 1st January the EEC Treaty becomes effective opening new perspectives for the fruit cultivation sector.
1968
1968
The beginning of a new era: the VOG’s recognition as a producer organisation resulted in new powers, subsidies and broad perspectives.
1971
1971
Creation of the VOG brand, that was both designation of origin and quality assurance. It was a stylised apple in an ellipsis, positioned between the words VOG and Südtirol, set on an orange background.
storia-1980
Late '70s early '80s
The first dense planting attempts were already made in 1979, however the great transition wave only happened towards the end of the 1970s and beginning of the 1980s. By the end of the 1980s, approximately 90% of the entire fruit cultivation areas were covered with dense planting. This, of course, affected both production and sales. Yields per hectare grew significantly and production volumes soared. Through dense planting, the overall harvest doubled within 15 years.
1988
1988
Foundation of AGRIOS: IP soon became the standard.
1995
1995
The 20th of October 1995 was a historic day. The new Marlene® brand was presented to the public at Maretsch Castle in Bolzano. From then on, the two consortiums, the VOG and the ESO (Producer Organisation of South Tyrolean Fruit Growers) presented a common marketing and distribution concept for the domestic market.
2008
2008
Georg Kössler was elected as chairman.
2010
2010
On 1st August 2010 the new sales and marketing concept started operating in the four pools Bozen Süd, Bozen West, Meran and Unterland.
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2015
70 years of VOG
storia-2022
2022

1 August 2022 saw the start of the new VOG commercial organisation, renamed VOG 2.2.

The new model aims to make the Consortium’s business activities even more effective and efficient. Customers now have a single point of contact for all VOG apples, which are marketed centrally. Disposal plans, delivery standards and calibration are also managed in a unified manner.

The individual cooperatives continue to manage relations with their members regarding production and delivery, and remain responsible for storage, sorting and packaging up to the shipping stage. The Cooperative Directors are directly involved in the Consortium’s business decisions and strategic choices.

history-2022-2
2022

VOG becomes Home of apples