Nonetheless, in 2013 the commercial trend for the producer organisation is rather stable, in line with previous years.
Left to right Simone Dalla Valle, Luigi Ferraioli (members of Eurocirce's board of directors), Sandro Galanti (commercial partner) and Claudio Montini (Operative programme manager).
It's a difficult situation and it's hard to find strategies against the crisis: "We rely on high quality and on communication in order to let final consumers know us and make them associate our logo with the product. We know that consumers are aware of the "eat well and eat healthy" problem, perhaps because of the Escherichia Coli incident, and look for safe products that are good value for money."
The Eurocirce PO has been producing and selling fresh vegetables since 1984. "Our mission is to guarantee fresh high quality products every day thanks to our dynamic, efficient and competitive work. We are located in the Pontino area and benefit from the experience and productivity of 130 producers."
The land cultivated by the partners of the Cooperative is located on 450 hectares, 60% of which are in greenhouses with modern technological plants. Cold storage units mean the cold chain starts right after harvesting. A complete programming of the productive cycle also means Eurocirce can provide a constant range of products.
The average production is around 35,000 tons per year, whereas the turnover hovers around €20 million. Eurocirce has its own collecting and packaging centre on 14,000 square metres, 2,000 of which are made up of cold storage units.
Among the types of products sold there are courgettes, green salad and bunch (cherry-date) tomatoes, aubergines, carrots, cauliflowers, beans and green beans, celery, radishes, peppers, watermelons and melons. Carrots, horseradish, radish, turnips, lettuce and cabbage are intended for the foreign market.
Eurocirce was among the exhibitors at Macfrut 2013. "We can only express a positive judgement. The effort the Ente Fiera meant that the organisation was perfect, which in turn meant we could achieve significant results in terms of contacts, both at a national and international level, and especially with those countries that in the future will represent the new reference markets for exports in the future. We are talking about Russia, Africa and Asia. The quality, the number and the importance of our contacts made it a positive experience. We now have the basis to widen our customer base."
In Cesena, Eurocirce presented a new product that completes its range - courgette flowers in trays. 100 gram polypropylene trays with 10-12 flowers. "The Russians were particularly interested, as they don't know the product and are curious about how they are used in the kitchen," says Montini.
"The results we obtained at Macfrut 2013 make it a point of reference both at a national and international level, as Italian products are always esteemed abroad," concludes Montini. "At a moment like this, looking at the foreign markets can be a way for our sector to recuperate. This is a radical change for which we have to keep the produce chain at the centre and collaborate with everyone to keep it competitive as regards costs, quality, innovation and efficiency. The fair could be what is needed to reach these targets."
Contacts:
Eurocirce
S.S. 148 Pontina Km 97,335
04019 Terracina (LT) - Italy
Tel.: (+39) 773 756222
Fax: (+39) 773 756163
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.eurocirce.it