| Over 80,000 participants took part in the contest inviting people to explore the gourmet side of the daughter of the Alps. The collaboration with the women’s solidarity race continues. (Bolzano, 11 June 2024). The invitation to enjoy culinary experiences with Marlene® has won over consumers. The competition launched by the daughter of the Alps apple received more than 80,000 instant win entries and 103 gourmet recipes submitted by Spanish cooking enthusiasts in little over a month. The instant competition offered 100 gourmet packages as prizes, while those who sent in their own dish containing apples had a chance to win one of five one-week culinary experiences in the homeland of Marlene® apples. Spain was the second country, in terms of the number of entries in the main contest, totalling almost one fifth of the entries in 12 European and Mediterranean countries. The contest marked a new chapter in the story that began with the Aroma Wheel, illustrating the world of flavours of each Marlene® variety, and continued with the invitation to a culinary journey at the centre of the current communication campaign. “Apples are consumed daily all over the world, and every country uses this exceptional fruit in their cooking,” explains Hannes Tauber, Marketing Manager of the VOG Consortium. “This initiative allowed us to listen to Spanish consumers and learn how they like to use apples in their dishes. At the same time, we had an opportunity to reveal what lies behind a Marlene® apple and to suggest new ways of exploring its gourmet side.” For the Marlene® brand, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2025, Spain is one of the main markets. “Our daughter of the Alps has been among the best-loved brands for many years,” Tauber continues. “With five varieties covering 12 months of the year and a strong identity, it is the brand we have chosen to pioneer a new way of presenting the category and our homeland, an inspiration for the entire sector.” Marlene® runs with the Carrera de la Mujer Marlene® also engages Spanish consumers through its long-standing collaboration with the Carrera de la Mujer, now in its eleventh year of partnership. The women’s solidarity race returned in spring with the 2024 edition: from 10 March to 24 November, Marlene® is accompanying the event, distributing apples and sports gadgets. The race started in Gran Canaria and then stopped off in Valencia and Madrid, where tens of thousands of participants received giveaways and tasted the daughter of the Alps in the gazebo set up at the end of the race. The collaboration will continue in the coming months with the involvement of journalist Cristina Mitre, author of El Podcast de Cristina Mitre, the independent podcast with the largest audience in Spain. In addition to running in the Marlene® colours at the Barcelona stage on 17 November, Cristina Mitre will also star in a video dedicated to the participation of the daughter of the Alps in the solidarity marathon. “For us, the Carrera de la Mujer is an important occasion to connect with hundreds of thousands of Spanish consumers,” comments Tauber. “We are happy to share the taste of Marlene® with them and to promote the values of quality, well-being and healthy lifestyles that set us apart.” Marlene MARLENE® GOURMET COMPETITION HAS STARTED | 
