Major Italian cooperative says its expanded partnership with Patfrut near Bologna should help it meet increasing demand from horeca and processors
The hospitality and catering sectors, as well as the food processing industry, are driving demand for fresh-cut potatoes, carrots, onions, and pumpkins in Italy, according to one of the country’s largest fresh produce suppliers.
Naturitalia, a major cooperative based near Bologna, says it sees strong growth potential in these areas of the market, as demand increases for high-quality products that ready for use in kitchens and catering facilities.
As a result, the group has positioned its business accordingly. Thanks to a partnership with member cooperative Patfrut and recent investments in its facility in Medicina, to the east of Bologna, the company says it can now offer restaurants a range of fresh potatoes and vegetables – all ready for immediate use – that combine convenience and quality of origin.
The value proposition is clear: the products provide a way to simplify the work needed in horeca kitchens, and guarantees industry professionals a consistently traceable and high-performance product.
Prepared for growth
Gianluca Lucchi, Naturitalia’s Italian sales coordinator, believes that more reliable sources of fresh, high-quality, and convenient items is helping to grow the market for pre-prepared produce.
“Fresh-cut products today are a lever for efficiency for organised catering and large-scale retail cooking centres,” he emphasises. “We see this clearly with fresh-cut potatoes: some of Italy’s leading retail groups purchase them for their own kitchens, where the product is used for various purposes, such as baking or cooking.”
He adds: “We expect an increase in this type of supply in 2026, given the growing interest from new customers and the level of satisfaction with the product’s quality and versatility.”
The company’s partnership with Patfrut is expected to be fully up and running by 2026, and this will be followed soon after by a “significant increase” in the product volume it handles.
All of the raw materials processed at the Medicina plant come from farms associated or connected with Patfrut, something which it says allows Naturitalia to guarantee maximum freshness and product traceability.
Conventional fresh-cut lines feature potatoes, carrots, onions, and pumpkins, while organic lines currently include potatoes and carrots.
Those items are washed, sorted, peeled, and then cut at high speed using state-of-the-art machinery, before being packed in modified-atmosphere bags, ready for use.
