Two of Italy's leading cooperatives, Campogalliano and Eurofrutta, have merged to form what is thought to be the world's largest pear producer-marketer.
In a move aimed at establishing a greater presence for Italian pear sector on global markets, Fruit Modena Group brings together some 610 members based largely in the Province of Modena in the north of Italy.
From its commercial base in the town of Campogalliano, north-west of Modena, the group will export locally produced pears to markets in Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia.
Fruit Modena Group has appointed Angelo Barbieri as its inaugural president, a position he already holds at Eurofrutta, while Adriano Aldrovani of Campofrigo willl assume the role of vice-president. Giampaolo Nasi of Campofrigo has been named as the company's director.
Gaetano De Vinco, president of cooperative association Confcooperative Modena, welcomed the news. 'Integration, internationalisation and innovation – the three key words for agriculture in Italy and Modena all begin with an 'i'. These are necessary choices on which the survival of the sector depends,' he said. 'The birth of Fruit Modena Group confirms the importance of cooperation, which shortens the supply chain and allows the smallest producer to supply products and find space for them on national and international markets that would otherwise be out of reach, all the time maintaining close links with the source.'
The new cooperative is set to produce 7,000 tonnes of pears per year from a production area of 2,374ha, in addition to a number of other products including apples, tomatoes and plums, covering a total of 250ha. The new group will use three packhouses, with a combined area of 84,000m2 and coldstorage capacity of 66,400 tonnes, of which more than 43,000 tonnes is in controlled atmosphere.
During the recently concluded 2007/08 season, the combined turnover of Campogalliano and Eurofrutta was €45m.
The arrival of Fruit Modena Group was preceded by last year's establishment of the Consorzio Fruit Modena Group, a marketing organisation in which another Modena-based pear cooperative, Cipof, is involved.
During the past year, the consortium has worked to gain economies of scale across the groups involved and to study more aggressive marketing strategies aimed at opening new markets for the products supplied by its members.
'Internationalisation is a process that our cooperatives have been working on for many years, with incredible effort and sacrifice, through expansion, consolidation, investment and raising the value of shareholdings,' added Mr De Vinco. 'At the same time, however, cooperation remains firmly rooted in the region, as demonstrated by this merger which is entirely Modenese.'
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