Important actors in the Italian market

Various companies in Italy have been in business for a long time and have recently succeeded in increasing their activities. Abafoods, a producer of vegetable drinks and fruit juices, produced 16 million litres of fruit drinks in 2008. Probios was one of the first companies in Europe to import macrobiotic products direct from Japan and Il Fior di Loto was one of the first organic companies to consider the idea of retailing through the pharmacy channel. Canova specialises in organic fruit and vegetables. Oleificio Gabro, one of the pioneers and leaders in the production of organic extra virgin olive oil in Italy, is looking for new partners to cover countries where the product is still unknown.

Abafoods was founded in 1993 with the aim of producing vegetable drinks and fruit juices, especially cool orange juices. In 1998, the company decided to enter the organic food sector by certifying its factory, thus finding its manufacturing and philosophical mission in the production of organic drinks. Nowadays Abafoods is a well-established manufacturing reality, not only from an economic perspective (12,300,000 € turnover in 2008 and 13,500,000 € forecast for 2009), but also regarding their staff (50 workers) and their juice extraction equipment. 16,000,000 litres of cereal drinks were produced in 2008. Abafoods is the first Italian company to use the new Tetra Gemina Aseptic carton packaging system that provides both higher quality performance and format versatility. The launch of the 750ml brick has been especially conceived to steady a market characterized by increasing demand for innovative cereal drinks in a wide range of flavours. In Europe, the company’s main brand Isola Bio is a leader in the organic market where it is supplied by most specialized distributors. With its 35 products, Isola Bio offers the widest range of cereal drinks. 
 

In recent years, Abafoods has invested a great amount of human and economic resources in R&D, developing 150 different recipes based on simple natural ingredients such as rice, oats, kamut, maize, barley, millet, soy and quinoa. Abafoods’ commitment to the cause of quality is proved by its numerous European certifications. Abafoods exports its products to 18 countries and also produces for the prestigious private labels of large international retailers with very high quality standards. Abafoods’ goal for the future is to strengthen the Isola Bio brand by providing even more certified drinks by means of the company itself cultivating the cereals necessary for production, thus guaranteeing excellent quality along the whole chain from field to table. More information on Abafoods is available here 

Probios, the Greek words pro meaning in favour of, and bios standing for life, was established in Florence in 1978 with the aim of popularising organic and macrobiotic foods in Italy. The company was one of the first in Europe to import macrobiotic products direct from Japan. Over the years it has specialized in the distribution of organic products and this has given rise to numerous product ranges. Special care invested in each product results in a mix of quality, taste and innovation.

Foods are subjected to rigid tests throughout the production chain, ranging from where the raw materials come from (strictly certified organic farms) through to the transformational procedures that preserve all the taste and nutritional characteristics of the product. The company is innovative and up-to-date with the evolution of the market. It specializes in people with food intolerances and food allergies and has created product ranges dedicated to all those with particular dietary requirements such as gluten-free, dairy and egg-free, yeast-free, and spelt or kamut-based foods, which means they are wheat-free. In Italy, Probios’ distribution channels are herbalists and specialized shops. Regarding exports, the company distributes to over 40 countries through a carefully selected portfolio of distributors and is supported by its sales representatives based in Paris. Probios closed 2008 with a turnover of 14,000,000 €, a 5 % growth compared with 2007. 

The Probios group also comprises Probios Deutschland, with its headquarters in Munich, Il Nutrimento, with a production facilities in Cremosano (Cremona),  and specialising in  typical Italian pure recipes like pasta sauces, vegetal paté, and vegetables in extra virgin olive oil. Biostock specialises in trading organic raw materials for catering, production  and grocery businesses. In 2009, Probios welcomed two new important basic developments. The first was the acquisition of the management of Toscana Pomodoro, the leader in producing and processing organic tomatoes from Tuscany. Probios wants to support Tuscan organic production, so that the final product can be cultivated and packed in one single region. Tuscany itself represents extra value  - it’s a region  well known worldwide for the high quality of its raw materials.

The second development was the launch in 2009 of the partnership with Bio&Co., a company importing organic cotton from India. The partnership between Probios, Bio&Co and Appachi Cotton makes it possible to track the whole production process of all clothes, from raw materials to the weaving, from dyeing the cloth to packaging, in order to ensure high quality cloths and job security for local producers. This wide-ranging  project comes in the wake of many cotton fields being converted from conventional to organic to protect the Regional Natural Reserve. Furthermore, the project offers economic support to the farmers taking part in conversion. The Appachi cotton project has contributed to a local school that already has about 800 pupils.

Probios is a leader in research and product innovation and it has often been awarded  prizes. They include important awards, such as  at NatExpo Paris in 1997 when the product “Yo riso” won a prize for being the first wholly vegetable yoghurt with live fermentation, and at Biofach Nuremberg in 2004 when the product “Mayorice” received an award in the section “the most innovative product” for being the first wholly vegetable mayonnaise made from rice, cholesterol-free and with no added soya. In September 2009 at Bologna, the products “Rice Chips” and “Corn Chips” were awarded the national prize “Bio Fare e Comunicare” as innovative products that, because they are oven-baked and not fried, have a fat content much lower than standard.

 

Il Fior di Loto, based in Turin, is one of the oldest organic businesses in Italy, along with Baule Volante, La Finestra sul cielo, NaturaSì/Ecor, Ki Group and Probios. Il Fior di Loto (The lotus flower) was founded in 1972 as the first store in Turin selling "natural products". Riccardo Maschio realised the benefits of this new diet and promoting awareness of these "new" food products became his raison d'être, so in 1975, he bought the company and set about expanding the business.

At that time, his customers were small herbalists with a mini food department. There were no health food stores, except for the famous “Il Girasole” in Milan, and fewer than 50 sales outlets were interested in his products. At its original headquarters, besides importing macrobiotic food products from Japan, Il Fior di Loto also packed cereals and flours and manufactured rice cakes to the traditional Japanese recipe. These products were taken to Milan once a week in the firm's own delivery van, and the next week's orders were taken at the same time. In 1978, Il Fior di Loto hired its first sales agent and took part in Italy's first natural health fair, Herbora. In 1980 the company moved to its new, larger premises, where it also started to make the first organic biscuits, for which there was no form of legal recognition at that time. The range of products gradually increased, as did the company and its human resources.

Over the years, the focus has moved beyond traditional macrobiotics towards organic food products, also thanks to the introduction of specific legislation which came into force in 1991. Il Fior di Loto developed its flair for recipes using 100 % vegetable ingredients and slowly-absorbed sugars (not sucrose), building up its expertise in the preparation of milk-free, egg-free and butter-free food products using malt and concentrated fruit juice sweeteners, specifically suitable for people with food intolerances. As the market developed, pharmacies started to show an interest in this sector.

Il Fior di Loto currently serves some 2,500 customers which include health food stores, herbalists and pharmacies. The catalogue contains approximately 900 items, ranging from standard organic to specific food intolerance products, macrobiotics and eco-organic cosmetic products. The company is dedicated to developing its own brands. These account for 53 % of its overall turnover and include important novelties such as the Zero% brand (intolerance segment) and the recent Biocroc brand (crisps/savoury snacks). It also focuses on the selection and distribution of exclusive and guaranteed brands including Biotta, Vogel, and Felicia (47 % of the total turnover).

 

The sales network consists of some 30 agents, led by two sales managers, one for the traditional channel (health food stores and herbalists) and one for the pharmacy channel. 70 % of the company's products are retailed through specialist stores and the remaining 30 % through pharmacies and stores selling parapharmaceuticals on the domestic market. The company's turnover for 2008 amounted to approximately 7 million €, rising by 12 % in the first six months and by 11 % in the second half-year period. As part of its development strategy,

Il Fior di Loto is committed to investing in its Biocron brand of savoury snacks and on strengthening its ZERO% brand of products for people with food allergies and intolerances. Il Fior di Loto was one of the first organic companies to consider the idea of retailing through the pharmacy channel. Pharmacies have shown an increasing interest in food intolerance products since the Italian National Health Service decided to distribute gluten-free products (which are now refundable) to people with celiac disease, and they are gradually adding other products to this range. Il Fior di Loto is a point of reference in this field, committed to creating a culture of prevention based on a healthy diet consisting of simple, easily digestible, well-balanced food products that undergo strict quality control procedures to guarantee the highest standards while always paying maximum attention to flavour.

Il Fior di Loto in brief
 

“Bio. Fare e Comunicare” (Organic. Doing it, and Selling it), the national prize given by the Italian Federation of Organic and Biodynamic Agriculture in partnership with Buonitalia, was awarded during the conference called “Bio, tuo, suo. Il biologico per tutti passa dalla comunicazione” (Organic. Yours & Theirs. Organic for everyone through communication) held at SANA 2009, the 21st International Organic Fair in Bologna. The aim of the award is to highlight products, innovative services and effective means of communication relating to the organic sector. In the packaging category, IL Fior di Loto received a special mention for its new Biocroc original and light pack. The aim, pursued by Studio Ponzano on behalf of Il Fior di Loto, was to apply a "creative mood" to the packaging that underlines the benefits of organic products and appeals to women in particular, as the main purchasers of these items.
 

Canova srl is the Apofruit Group’s specialized company that was established and built up to make organically grown products a concrete everyday choice. Direct relationships with more than 800 farms growing organic products in Italy mean that Canova can ensure a complete range of  products of constant quality. The company is equipped with three production plants and two platforms for processing and shipping products direct from the production areas. Canova has a production level of 25,500 tons and a turnover of 41.5 million euros. Organic fresh fruit and vegetables are available as well as organic fresh cut fruit, oganic fresh and prepared soup, pureed fresh vegetables and organic fresh cut added-value vegetables. Canova holds the licence for the Almaverde Bio trademarks for fresh fruit and vegetables. Almeverde Bio is now the leading organic product brand in Italy that represents both product quality and safety with the guarantee of a known brand name.

 

Oleificio Gabro S.r.l. is one of the pioneers and leaders in the production of organic extra virgin olive oil in Italy. The company has been certified organic since 1988 by ICEA (Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification). About 1,000 tons of the oil are produced each year. At the moment, the company employs fifteen workers - 10 for  production and 5 in the offices. 70 % of Gabro organic extra virgin goes to wholesalers and distributors. Gabro oil is distributed with its own brand and under private label as well. 25 % of the product is sold in Italy, 60% goes to other European countries (CEE), and 15 % is exported to North America, Australia, China and Japan. With the introduction of its oil in the "Piazza Italia" store in Beijing, China, the company is trying to promote, together with others famous Italian brands, the taste of the best Italian food.

At the moment, Oleficio Gabro is looking for new partners to cover countries where the product is still unknown, in particular in the Middle East and South America. The product line consists of different kinds of organic extra virgin oil. In 2009, Gabro, in collaboration with the Department of Chemistry at the University of Calabria and CRA (Agricultural Research Council), is starting a new project called "Olisafe". The aim of the project is to develop analytical methodologies for the high-tech characterization of organic olive oil. Sophisticated techniques will be employed, and Gabro will use the results to improve the quality of its organic olive oil.