“We use seasonal produce as raw materials for our processed products, including turnip tips which are made into spreads and products in oil. The market is not lively as, when demand for semi-processed products drops, it means the industry is slowing down due to stagnant consumption. The demand for dry tomatoes, which are actually our leading product, remains good," reports Gianluca Manfredi, president of Cooperativa Agricola La Cupa.
"The extraordinary demand for dry tomatoes is partly due to the fact that the Italian produce is lacking within a context where consumers purchase after reading the labels and want domestic products, maybe paired with ingredients such as extra-virgin olive oil. For example, we grow it employing organic techniques in our company land. Our current stocks should last us until June. We usually plan a production that is 30% higher than the orders or contracts."
High-quality, tastiness and the smell of home: these are the characteristics of La Cupa products, which also include a line of preserves dedicated to the lovers of good food who want to recreate at home the dishes of the Italian tradition. The premium line was launched in 2018 with I Cupidi: gourmet products in oil that capture the Apulian rural tradition which are very popular in Italy and abroad. There are the flavorful Cicorine Salentine, the Bocconcini Sfiziosi stuffed with a mix of 10 vegetables, stuffed chili peppers and olives from Cellina di Nardò and Leccino. Then there are the spreads (olive, artichokes and tomatoes) and tomato sauces made with red and yellow oblong tomatoes from Puglia and organic extra-virgin olive oil.
However, the organic segment is experiencing a slowdown in sales, probably due to a drop in the purchasing power of families or to a larger availability of natural products.
Among the various projects, La Cupa is also working on a line of products preserved in water, vinegar, salt and lemon juice to meet the needs of those who follow a low-calorie diet yet do not want to renounce tasty and healthy products.
"We carried out a few tests, which confirmed the good flavor and crunchiness of the raw materials even for those products that do not envisage the addition of extra-virgin olive oil, with the added value of a longer shelf-life of up to five years. We are talking about a line with no oil, with a contained cost and light precisely because there is no oil, available for artichokes, chicory tips, cauliflower and wild chicory. When it comes to the commercial field and purchasing method, we are comforted by the fact young consumers are increasingly choosing products they get to know through digital channels and platforms, which then they go back to purchasing only if they find good flavor and a transparent and sustainable chain."
The company history:
Cooperativa agricola La Cupa is located in Scorrano (LE), in Puglia. For over forty years, it has been growing a wide range of vegetables on 100 hectares. The products are destined entirely to making preserves, spreads, products in vinegar and oil and dried products, available in various formats. The company boasts two processing lines, one for the products in oil and the other for olives. The most popular product are dry oblong tomatoes, which are sun-dried on frames that cover 18,000 sq m. Other dry vegetables that require a high level of specialization complete the range.
La Cupa Società Cooperativa Agricola is growing all over Italy with 10% if the turnover made abroad in Switzerland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, France and Austria.
For further information:
La Cupa Società Cooperativa Agricola
Via Supersano, 120
73020 Scorrano (LE)
+39 0836 460630
+39 339 776 6903
commerciale@cooperativalacupa.it
www.cooperativalacupa.it