Preparations for the next agricultural campaign are in full swing. The Sicilian fresh produce is a point of reference for the main Italian wholesale markets and not just those, as the produce is also supplied to domestic and foreign retailers.
Vittorio Gona
Over the past 20 years, Sicily has specialized in the production of organic fruit and vegetables which the European market much appreciates. One of the companies committed to this front is OP Alba Bio located in Ragusa, south-eastern Sicily.
"We are now getting everything ready for the next campaign, for which we aim at providing a better quality and a larger number of products. We will increase the production of mini-plums as requested by some of our leading clients. OP Alba Bio is growing even though quantities were below normal this year due to the adverse weather conditions," explains President Vittorio Gona.
"This means our work continues being appreciated despite the aggressive foreign competition supported by low labor salaries."
"We studied the production of the various products based on past orders and have made planning with our clients more efficient so as to provide continuous supplies."
"We have also reduced the percentage of complaints by our commercial partners - from 2.55 to 2.03%. It may seem like a small figure, but it represents a change in trend and is a testimony of the increasing quality of our products. We are also trying to improve the overall logistic chain reducing the time between the various steps (harvesting, processing and loading)."
For the past 20 years, OP Alba Bio has acted as a national and international point of reference in the production and commercialization of organic fresh produce. Its markets of reference are Scandinavia, Denmark, Germany, England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Holland, Belgium, etc.
The Alba Bio cooperative is trying to convince its partners to perform production tests on figs, almonds, avocados, lemons, limes, oranges, pomegranates, seedless grapes, cherries and Saturn peaches.
Alba Bio holds leading certifications such as BIO 834/07, GlobalGAP, GRASP, BIO SUISSE and IFS FOOD and it is also looking to obtain the Demeter certification next year.
Contacts:
O.P. Coop. Alba Bio 
Cda Ferranta, SN
97010 Marina di Ragusa (RG) - Italy
Tel.1: +39 932 239003
Tel.2: +39 3357856242 (Commerciale)
Fax: +39 932 616014
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.gruppoalbabio.it