"Italy: "Verdure di Romagna" brand connects five companies"

Entrepreneurs in the Romagna region have partnered to create "Verdure di Romagna" brand. The partners are Marco Babbi and Vittorio Caligari (Ortofrutta Caligari & Babbi), Gabriele Bruschi (Società Agricola F.lli Bruschi), Cecchini family (Sipo), Franco Leonardi (Azienda Agricola Leonardi), and Giampiero Valdinoci (Azienda Agricola Futuragri).

Each company will continue trading independently, but they will have a common brand which makes it easy for the consumers to recognise the vegetables produced in the areas of Rimini and Forlì-Cesena. "The range of products include - celery, fennel, carrots, white radish, friggitello peppers, spicy red peppers, cardoons, potatoes and onions, Tuscan kale, barilla plant, courgette flowers and lettuce", a leading partner adds.

From left to right Marco Babbi, Vittorio Caligari, Gabriele Bruschi, Massimiliano Ceccarini, Franco Leonardi, Giampiero Valdinoci

"We intend to support the economy of our area through this project, encouraging young people to carry on their parents' farming companies", Vittorio Caligari says.

His partner, Marco Babbi, thinks that it is a good idea to attend international events all together. They might attend the Fruit Logistics event in Berlin. "The European Union policy is promoting networks of companies and partnerships. We are moving in this direction. What is important now is to come up with ideas, join forces and make the high-quality brand recognizable", Babbi says. Caligari&Babbi is a company specialized in the production and trading of fennel.

"We'd like to promote the "Verdure di Romagna" brand on the Italian and European market, widening the already existent range of products launched by Sipo in 2015", Ceccarini adds.

"We've decided to sign this contract - Giampiero Valdinoci emphasises - because we thinks this is the right moment for products like ours, but we need effective communication and only together we can have it".

"We believe in the "Verdure di Romagna" project", Gabriele Bruschi adds, "because we have to save the fruit and vegetable sector of our area and we can achieve our goal only together".

The guests at the stand of Sipo at Macfrut tasted the delicious "Verdure di Romagna" vegetables thanks to the presentations by Maria Cristina Dore (biologist-nutritionist) and Carla Casali (chef), who both collaborate with Sipo.