Increasing volumes and a constantly improving product management have made Spreafico a leading importer of asparagus from Peru.
FreshPlaza interviewed Claudio Scandella, category manager at Spreafico, for more details about this success story. "Thanks to the support of our distributors, we have managed to handle very large volumes."
Shipments are carried out by air from Monday to Friday. "Quantities hover between 10 and 15 tons a week. We only import green asparagus, which are more delicate than the white ones, and that is why we cannot transport them by sea."
Maintaining the cold chain is essential. "Our suppliers do their best to maintain the product at a low temperature. Once unloaded, we store it in special chambers at 1°C. We are also equipped with temperature sensors to monitor temperature changes during transport. In addition, we test all solutions available on the market to guarantee the cold chain. We do all this because green asparagus only have a shelf-life of 2-3 days."
The product complies with GlobalGAP requirements and European standards and is packed in crates with 8 bunches that weigh 420 grams each, except at peak times (December, for example), when we are talking about 11 450 gram bunches.
The Peruvian product is different from the European one because all of it is green and edible. The season starts in the South of the country and, despite the great differences of the production areas, the experience of producers guarantees a continuous supply.
Concerning prices, United States and Japan are the biggest buyers so, when their demand is high, European prices increase as well.
"We import green asparagus 40 weeks a year, from mid May to February/March. We supply domestic clients and also export to France, Spain and the Netherlands. Our suppliers can ship all kind of grades and Italy usually prefers the bigger ones."
In addition to asparagus, Spreafico also imports avocados, mangos, Red Globe grape and ginger from Peru and is interested in starting with cereal such as amaranth and quinoa.
Contact:
Claudio Scandella
Exotic-ethnic Category Manager
SPREAFICO FRANCESCO & F.LLI SPA
Cell. +39 348 2506928
Email: claudio.scandella@spreafico.net
Skype: claudio_scandella
Author: Rossella Gigli
Copyright: www.freshplaza.it