A RECENT European immigrant is making its mark in the Adelaide Plains.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
Virginia growers, the Mitolo family, will be the first Australian farmers to produce Europe’s popular potato variety, the Gourmandine.
![HOT CHIPS: Darren, Frank and John Mitolo, Virginia, in their crop of the Gourmandine potato variety. HOT CHIPS: Darren, Frank and John Mitolo, Virginia, in their crop of the Gourmandine potato variety.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Fuxf4VmvfUmd225xeYC69T/594a07c6-264b-4fb1-a693-a7a28fa3987e.jpg/r0_72_1417_872_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Five years ago the Mitolo family launched Australia’s first low GI potato, the Carisma.
The Gourmandine seeds have been imported from France to the rich, red loam soils of SA’s Riverland and Adelaide Plains Districts.
The Gourmandine is a yellow flesh potato with a smooth waxy skin that has a unique nut-like flavour, perfect for pairing with salads, meats, roasts and bakes.
The potato variety is a three-time winner of the French Taste of the Year Award, reviewed by an independent consumer panel, with the Gourmandine potato held in high regard for its appearance, aroma, texture and flavour.
![FRENCH VARIETY: Frank Mitolo in the Gawler Green Coles store at the launch of the new potato. FRENCH VARIETY: Frank Mitolo in the Gawler Green Coles store at the launch of the new potato.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Fuxf4VmvfUmd225xeYC69T/b03904f0-c503-458d-8b33-2d0dea84f696.jpg/r0_0_3840_5768_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The launch this week at Coles is the culmination of five years of extensive breeding by the Mitolo family at their property in Virginia to get this potato to commercial volumes.
“By working closely with Coles, we have been able to invest in research, innovation and development for new potato varieties, packaging and customer marketing as well as $10 million into new machinery for potatoes and onions,” Frank Mitolo, Managing Director, said.
The Gourmandine potatio will be sold exclusively at Coles supermarkets across SA, NSW and Vic as of this week, available seasonally.
The Mitolo Group supplies Coles with more than 35,000 tonnes of potatoes and onions combined annually to Coles stores around Australia.