The flavours of Marlene® aplles in kitchens around the world with the new variety folder

(Terlano May 2023) – A tool that celebrates the variety of aromas and flavours of Marlene® apples together with 5 international chefs who embody the values of origin, sustainability and quality. It is the new variety folder which, after the Aroma Wheel, represents the second chapter in the journey of the daughter of the Alps apple towards a new communication concept for the apple sector.

Thanks to her father, the mountain, her mother, sunlight, and her teacher, time, Marlene® forms her multifaceted personality with a variety of aromas, textures and flavours. To illustrate this richness, the VOG Consortium has worked together with Norbert Niederkofler, the South Tyrolean chef whose mountain cuisine has earned him three Michelin Stars and the Green Star for sustainability with the St. Hubertus restaurant at the Rosa Alpina – Aman Partner Hotel.

Niederkofler has brought together four renowned chefs from Spain, Belgium, Morocco and Norway to jointly create 25 recipes that express the full potential of the different Marlene® apple varieties. The team reflects the international character of Marlene®, which is present in more than 25 countries, including the places of origin of the chefs involved: the apple is part of the local gastronomic culture in every part of the world. The recipes resulting from this ambitious project have been collected and illustrated in the 5 new Marlene® folders, one for each of the most popular apple varieties: Royal Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji and Red Delicious.

Each variety is introduced by the Aroma Wheel, with a description of its sensory characteristics, and interpreted in 5 different recipes, one for each international chef in the project. For each recipe, the right season to enjoy it is also suggested, since it is the succession of seasons in South Tyrol that makes Marlene® apples special. The variety folders thus become an effective guide for consumers and the trade.

“With the ‘Aroma Wheel’, we have recounted the bouquet of aromas and flavours contained in an apple in a new and appealing way,” explains Hannes Tauber, Marketing Manager at the VOG Consortium. “The variety folder is the second step towards bringing customers and consumers to a new dimension of the apple, with content that enhances positioning and promotes segmentation. At the start of the next sales season, we will close the circle of this innovative journey that will make the Marlene® brand one of the leading players in the new ways of talking about apples.”

Thanks to a world of flavours that knows no boundaries and to innovative marketing tools, the Marlene® apple is ready to communicate all its values of origin, quality, freshness and sustainability for true immersion in flavours. It is already ready for the third episode of this taste journey, which will be celebrated in autumn 2023.

International chefs involved in the project

In the new variety folders, Norbert Niederkofler brings out a new side of Marlene® apples in which the flavours of the South Tyrolean mountains meet haute cuisine, in line with the Michelin-starred chef’s Cook The Mountain philosophy. For example? Mountain ceviche, in which lake trout meets Marlene® Fuji.

He is accompanied by outstanding professionals such as Oliver Peña Luque, who served for years as executive chef at the Michelin-starred Enigma in Barcelona. His recipes pay homage to his Catalan origins, as well as to international cuisine, with dishes such as Iberian pork and Granny Smith apple skewers in apple teriyaki sauce.

From Norway, the very young Jimmy Øien, Michelin Young Chef 2022, brings the anti-waste philosophy that brought fame to his Rest restaurant in Oslo. Thus, puffed fish skin can become an appetiser that enhances the aroma profile of Marlene® Golden Delicious.

Fresh ingredients and gourmet cuisine are the cornerstones of Belgian Basile De Wulf, as evidenced by the unexpected combinations of his Red Delicious apple carpaccio, pickled herring, and herb mayonnaise.

From chilly Northern Europe, chef Najat Kaanache takes us to sunny Morocco. Her international experiences at Per Se in New York and Noma in Copenhagen construct a cuisine without boundaries, yet always linked to her land of origin, as demonstrated by the spicy Royal Gala apple and mint granita.

Five international chefs, each with their own style and approach, interpret and enhance the unique taste of the daughter of the Alps apple.

The aroma wheel

The aroma wheel describes the character that Marlene®, daughter of the Alps, develops thanks to her father, the mountain, her mother, sunlight, and time, her teacher. Created in collaboration with sensory analysis experts and presented with a clear and effective layout, this tool illustrates at a glance all the attributes of the Marlene® brand’s most popular varieties: Fuji, Golden Delicious, Royal Gala, Granny Smith and Red Delicious.

In the aroma wheel, the apples’ properties are divided into three categories: structure, aroma and flavour. The structure includes characteristics such as crispness, juiciness and fineness of flesh, while the flavour can be sweet or sour, and the aroma is characterised by adjectives such as floral, fruity, herbaceous or spicy. Each of these elements corresponds to a colour shade that allows you to discover the special features of each Marlene® apple at a glance.