© La Cupa Soc. Coop. Agr.
"We have obtained good feedback from our promotional campaigns, and participation in foreign trade fairs has paid off in particular. We have already received our third order from the German, Swiss, and French customers we met at Anuga at the beginning of October 2025. Our pickles from the Siamo Bio line, which are processed fresh, have won them over. Their crunchiness caught the attention of visitors at the fair," reports Gianluca Manfredi, President of the Apulian cooperative La Cupa.
La Cupa is based in Scorrano (LE), Puglia. For over forty years, the company has grown a wide range of vegetables on 100 hectares of its own land. The products are used entirely for the production of preserves, creams, pickles, and dehydrated vegetables. The company's flagship product is dehydrated oblong tomatoes, which are dried exclusively in the sun on frames covering 18,000 square metres. The company has two separate processing lines and has been operating branded products since 2015.
The premium line was launched in 2018 under the name 'I Cupidi', and it is a range of gourmet vegetables in oil that represent the Apulian peasant tradition. Among the specialities offered are Salento chicory, delicious stuffed bites, stuffed hot peppers, and Cellina di Nardò and Leccino olives. The range also includes Apulian long, red, and yellow tomato purees and organic extra virgin olive oil.
The commercial strategy aims to consolidate the foreign market when it comes to the gourmet segment, which accounts for 20% of the company's turnover. Historical markets for the brand include Switzerland, Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, France, and Austria.
© La Cupa Soc. Coop. Agr.
According to President Gianluca Manfredi, processing agricultural products means valorising them in a virtuous way. This makes it possible to obtain a remunerative price on the international markets compared to the sale of the fresh produce. Manfredi believes that business profitability comes from combining processing with careful gastronomic choices.
© La Cupa Soc. Coop. Agr.
Today, the market's attention is no longer focused solely on the quality/price ratio, but is shifting to provenance, checks, and strong links with the territory. The company is committed to offering more controlled and guaranteed food, precisely with this in mind. The link with the territory along the entire supply chain is a value that goes beyond the 'made in Italy' label. The latter, in fact, certifies the place of substantial final processing, and not necessarily the origin of all raw materials, while La Cupa uses raw materials cultivated in its own fields.
"The quality/price ratio was pursued for years. Today, the focus is shifting to provenance, checks, and strong links with the territory," concludes Gianluca Manfredi.
For more information:
La Cupa Società Cooperativa Agricola
Via Supersano, 120
73020 Scorrano (LE) - Italy
+39 0836 460630
+39 377 3710636
[email protected]
www.cooperativalacupa.it
