Niche white and green asparagus at Agricola Baraldo

Azienda Agricola Baraldo specialises in the production of white and green asparagus on 45 hectares in the province of Padua. 

25 years ago, because the orchards were not profitable enough and considering white asparagus is a niche product typical of the area, the business decided to plant 2 hectares of it.

After seeing the excellent results, the apple orchard was replaced with an intensive cultivation of asparagus.

Over the years, the company managed to produce a high-quality product placed on the market at competitive prices.

Michele Baraldo (in the photo), reported that "in 2016, production increased by 10% with respect to the previous year, 

while prices dropped by 7%."

"Ever since we decided to work with retailers in 2000, the brand started to get recognised and appreciated on the market. We currently work with Alì, Unicomm, Aspiag, METRO, Sisa and Sma. We also export some volumes abroad (Northern Europe and Japan) through a company specialising in the supply of Italian products to the catering business."

Competition
"In addition to competitors from our area, there are others in Veneto, Trentino and other regions (which though only grow green asparagus). The advantage against our competitors is the excellent quality of our product guaranteed by our production techniques and soil characteristics."

"Our asparagus are sold:

- loose in 30x40 crates
- in 750 gram bunches in 30x40 crates
- in 400-500 gr punnets (flow pack, heat-shrunk or heat-sealed).

Weather anomalies?
"We have not noticed particular weather anomalies in our area. Luckily, irrigation systems enable us to help against periods with no rain."

Seasonability
"We try to supply our product throughout the year:
- white and green asparagus: mid-February to mid-June
- courgettes: mid-June to mid-October
- late red chicory: early November to mid-February."



Challenges
"In order to be competitive on the market, we invested in technologically advanced systems and have installed computerised systems to manage warehouses, production and accounts." 

"To be able to supply retailers, we needed to be able to process orders with short load times. Combined with an increased automation, this led us to programme packaging better. We are therefore able to provide an excellent service to our clients thanks to an increased flexibility and a capability to manage emergencies."



Contacts:
Azienda Agricola Baraldo
Via Arzerdimezzo, 9/B
35020 Pernumia (PD)
Cell.: 349 8835438 - 347 9261196
Email: info@agricolabaraldo.it
Web: www.agricolabaraldo.i
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