The Sicilian company has made internationalisation its main focus, so much so that citrus fruit from Altieri Giacomo & Figlio reached overseas destinations already in the 1980s.
In the photo: Giacomo Altieri, company founder and pioneer of citrus fruit commercialisation overseas.
Founder Giacomo Altieri was the first Palagonia (CT) entrepreneur to introduce Moro oranges to the United States and also specialised in the export of a wide variety of oranges, tangerines, lemons and table grapes.
Pascal Altieri, sales manager of Altieri Giacomo & Figlio.
"We focus a lot on logistics, especially since China isn't exactly round the corner! We will tackle this challenge by relying on our experience (over 40 years) in long-distance shipping with good transit times."
"We have what it takes to export to China. The inspections carried out in our groves and the lab tests supervised by the Region's Phytosanitary service confirmed the absence of the Phytophthora syringae and Phytophthora hibernalis fungi."
The Altieri family welcomes the Chinese delegation visiting the company.
The company was founded in the 1980s by Giacomo Altieri. To this day, he helps his son Pascal to organise the production and commercial activities. The facility is located in Palagonia (CT) at the foothills of Mount Etna and covers 2400 sq m, while the groves are in contrada Monaci/Principessa.
"We produce a wide range of products, with 50 hectares growing various cultivars such as tangerines as well as the new Tarocco Rosso, Lempso and TDV. These are early pigmentation varieties on innovative rootstocks such as Carrizio and Citrumelo."
The produce is sold under the Fior d'Arancia brand. The company holds the GlobalGAP certification and is part of the Pgi standard. "We are following the procedure to implement organic cultivation techniques as per the specification, although we are already using semi-organic or integrated techniques."
"The past campaign was rather complex as volumes decreased leading to higher prices. The weather, with weird temperatures, snow, hail and strong winds, somewhat affected quality. As regards the 2017 campaign, the prolonged drought did cause some problems, although it is still early to make a forecast."
"Our experience, knowledge of our products and professionalism make us stand out against competitors and contributes to the fact that our fruit is available from retail chains, wholesalers and stores. We do what we can financially, technologically as well as marketing and certifications-wise to promote our productions. However, I'm increasingly convinced that, in our sector, the biggest challenge is facing foreign competition, as it depreciates the value of the produce."
"We are strengthening the e-commerce network to find an alternative. This way, we can guarantee the supply of top-quality, fresh, genuine oranges. Things seem to be going well, if we consider online trade in agriculture is something rather new. We believe in it though, we think it's the future of global commerce. We also think that diversifying supply channels is key to supporting our Fior d'Arancia brand. Reaching final customers directly is definitely something worth doing."
Contacts:
Fior d'Arancia - Az. Agricola Altieri Giacomo & Figlio
Via Trento, 10
95046 Palagonia (CT) - Italy
Tel.: (+39) 095 7951561
Cell.: (+39) 335 7167691
Email: info@fiordarancia.it
Web: www.fiordarancia.it