Di Meo Remo was established as a nursery garden and flower growing company in 1994 and has recently discovered the fresh, potted and pre-cut aromatic herb business. From the start, it decided to treat herbs as vegetables, i.e. cultivate them using the same protocols and therefore in compliance with safety and traceability standards so they could be sold to retailers.
Owner Remo di Meo is supported by daughters Barbara and Alessia and invited FreshPlaza over to show the facilities and the methods implemented.
Click here for the full album.
Remo Di Meo.
The company covers 30 hectares, 20 of which are greenhouses with the most advanced environmental, irrigation and fertilisation control systems. The entire area is equipped to grow aromatic, potted decorative and vegetable plot pants. Pots are handled via innovative systems and cultivation is made easier thanks to automatic irrigation systems.
10 million pots are produced per year, 1.5 million of which are destined to food consumption. "The percentage of fresh herbs is destined to grow."
The cost/earning ratio per square metre is one of the fundamental criterias for the production to be profitable. "All the technology we use is German or Dutch. Our objective is a complete standardisation using bar codes from start to finish. We are currently working within 300 km of our company, but we aim at operating on the foreign market with all the requisites required by Northern Europe."
Click here for the full album.
Irrigation system.
With these objectives in mind and thanks to the support of the Unaproa union, Remo Di Meo started promoting the first PO in the potted aromatic herb sector - COPRAVAL - which counts five members. "For our associates, producing aromatic herbs is the same as growing vegetables. Pots are just a container that extends the shelf-life of a product. Our plants can be kept and used in the kitchen."
Basil in a pot. This herb is the leading product of the company and the most popular on the Italian market together with rosemary, sage, oregano, marjoram and mint. Abroad, the most popular are chives, parsley, basil, rosemary, oregano, sage and mint.
The reference market for aromatic herbs and flowers are retailers.
Purchase orders are managed by data transmission systems, thanks to which it is possible to organise the packaging and pricing of plants so as to process orders quickly.
Click here for the full photo album.
Packaging, pricing and transport systems are arranged according to the client's needs. Particular attention is paid to packaging so as to promote the product and supply information on the maintenance and/or use of the plant. Nine recipes are available for each variety thanks to specific QR-Codes.
 |  In the photo, the new COPRAVAL line of pre-cut aromatic herbs sold in practical trays with QR-Codes. |
The company holds the GlobalGAP certification, an international recognition that defines the standards for integrated production and the sale and traceability of fresh produce.
Click here for the full album.
Contacts:Azienda Agricola Di Meo Remo
Via Quinto Stradone Sandalo del Levante, 17
00048 Nettuno (Roma) - Italy
Tel.: +39 06 9819688
Fax; +39 06 9819455
Email: info@dimeoremo.it
Web: www.dimeoremo.it
Author: Rossella Gigli
Copyright: www.freshplaza.it