Aziende agricole Forini were established in 1989 and, four years later, opened the facility for fresh-cut produce in Bergamo.
"We started with rocket and loose salad and we immediately believed in selling the produce in packets. La Rinascente was our first client," recalls Tarciso Forini, founder of SAB Ortofrutta together with wife Graziella Pezzali.
"Cogli l'attimo" (seize the moment) is the name of our brand, and that is exactly what we did. In 2002, we contacted some companies in Southern Italy and the Terra e Sole cooperative was born.
Nowadays, the companies part of the SAB group are also located in Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany, Marche, Lazio, Campania, Abruzzo and Apulia. "This way, we can respect the seasonality of produce and guarantee the best quality and service." The company works on 215 hectares cultivated with integrated farming techniques and on over 54 hectares of organic produce.
Il Tricolore PO was established in 2006 for the processing of produce, meaning SAB now manages the entire production chain. In 2012, the group entered into a partnership with Swiss group Eisberg, leading to the creation of ESAT (Eisberg SAB Austria). Last year, it established Fo.CE, a new company in Romania.
The technological approach applied to a commodity makes it a high-service content product.
On the one hand, the partnership with Eisberg favours the development of international projects for retailers and an increased logistics efficiency, while on the other hand, the investment in Romania (40 ha for the production of salad) leads to an increased knowledge of the Eastern European market. The objective is to become a leader in the convenience fresh food sector.
A strong present-time
In the meantime, the Telgate facility expanded to cover 11,500 square metres with a productive potential of 40 daily tons thanks to 7 washing lines and 14 packaging line that can prepare 200 thousand packets a day - 73% for the fresh-cut, 25% for the evolved packed-unwashed and the remaining 2% for the already-cooked range.
The aim of the company is to control the chain to guarantee the supply of safe products. The continued development of new partnerships and research for new technologies make the new productive system efficient.
In 2014, the turnover was of over €45 million. SAB Ortofrutta supplies the food industry, retailers and H&R industry with a wide range of fresh-cut and already-cut products in bags, trays, bowls and ready-to-eat dishes. The products are sold under its own or the client's brand and the company can count of international certifications such as BRC, IFS, UNI EN ISO 22005:2008, GlobalGAP, Organic, QS, Tesco Produce Pack House Standard, SQMS.
Exports represent 23% of the total business - the produce is sent to the UK, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Spain, France and Austria.
The future is now
In the next few months, the new fresh-cut packaging facility in Roma will become operational and serveing the market in central and southern Italy more efficiently. It covers 6,500 square metres and has 3 washing lines and 7 packaging lines to process 20 tons/day.
"In addition, we want to start collaborating with new producers in Italy and continue our work in Europe. We want to innovate to best promote our produce and develop international relationships with retailers to introduce the quality and freshness of Italian raw materials."
SAB Ortofrutta is part of "5 colori del benessere", the initiative launched by Unaproa, the National union of producer organisations, financed by the European Commission and AGEA.
In addition, a relaunch and improvement of the soup line is also planned, with important investments in new technologies. Last but not least, the company wants to invest in more European companies to further develop agricultural production.
SAB Ortofrutta is part of "5 colori del benessere", the initiative launched by Unaproa, the National union of producer organisations, financed by the European Commission and AGEA.
In addition, a relaunch and improvement of the soup line is also planned, with important investments in new technologies. Last but not least, the company wants to invest in more European companies to further develop agricultural production.
Contacts:
SAB Ortofrutta srl
Via Cesare Battisti 78/80
24060 Telgate (BG)
Tel.: (+39) 035 4491480
Fax: (+39) 035 4491472
Carlo Fantoni, foreign sales manager
Email: [email protected]
Carlo Mazzoleni, Italy sales manager
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.sabortofrutta.it
Author: Raffaella Quadretti
Copyright: www.freshplaza.it
