Between November and April, società agricola De Simone in Francolise (CE) produces different types of radishes available in various types of bunches and packets (bags, without leaves, Ifco). Over the past two years, the company has grown in terms of both facilities and processing.
70% of our production is already allocated and destined abroad, while the remaining 30% is available. De Simone mainly works with foreign distribution chains, but it does work with some Italian retail chains supplying radishes in 125, 250 and 300 gram bags.
The company owns 60 hectares of covered crops as well as 40-50 hectares of open-fields. "We started harvesting winter varieties in late October. The high temperatures of up until a couple of weeks ago caused a few leaf problems. Prices and consumption are dropping, also due to the situation created by the Coronavirus, which pushes consumers to think about it more when making a purchase. Luckily, demand for our radishes is held up by the fact that our products are almost zero-residue."
"We mainly export to Germany, where we supply Lidl stores, but also to Austria, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Poland and Romania. Each chain has its own specifications when it comes to packaging: for example, when it comes to wooden or plastic crates, Germany prefers sizes 8x15, 10x15 or 15x15, while Poland, Romania and Switzerland opt for size 20x10."
Due to Covid-19, labor is reduced. "As we work with mainly non-EU workers, those who went home during the summer had difficulties coming back to Italy, so we have had to employ the locals."
In the summer, between June and August, the company focuses on watermelons and mini-watermelons (seeded and seedless). Se Simone is also working on a leafless radish project.
Contacts:
Aldo De Simone
Cell.: +39 333 9436419
Società Agricola De Simone S.S.
Via C.S. Bottacce, 18
81050 Francolise (CE) - Italy
Tel.: +39 0823 576270
Fax: +39 0823 576270
Email: agricoladesimone@gmail.com