2021 was not a bad year for fresh herbs - sales registered a 100% increase compared to 2020 (which wasn't a normal year), and things went better than 2019 as well. Overall, 2021 was a positive year, as Ludan Fresh Supplies - a company specializing in the production and commercialization of fresh herbs - handled around 40 tons of produce.
"The annual trend is rather stable and in line with consumption of the past few years. This year, however, summer and fall were livelier in terms of sales compared to 2020. This is due to the pandemic, which is now much more under control thanks to the vaccines, as well as to the fact that there was no lockdown to halt demand from the H&R sector - the leading consumer of fresh herbs," explains Luigi D'Aniello, manager at Ludan Fresh Supplies.
"Sales and production have been regular this year, although it was rather difficult to produce in greenhouses in August due to the high temperatures, which caused difficulties for parsley, dill, and coriander. In October, there were quality problems, yet the sales trend was good. Now, we are expecting a peak as Christmas holidays approach."
Ludan Fresh Supplies is a young dynamic company set up in April 2020, which specializes in packed, unwashed aromatic herbs destined for fresh consumption. The varieties available year-round are basil, rosemary, sage, mint, thyme, and parsley. This year, the company has also introduced organic bunching onions grown on the Sele plain (Salerno - Campania province)."
The company monitors the entire chain - from production and processing to commercialization - in order to guarantee high quality standards. "Another important factor is the fact we can procure fresh herbs year-round from different areas in Italy, so we can guarantee constant supply and minimize the risk of gaps due to factors that cannot be controlled."
As for the packaging that better complies with the new plastic-free directives, the manager explains that "we count on working with closed-circuit packaging solutions such as IFCO and EPS. With this strategy, we avoid placing an endless amount of plastic on the market, thus respecting the environment. Moreover, this also reduces road transport and generates less pollution. I prefer this solution to cardboard packaging, as this still needs to be disposed of and oftentimes contains plastic material for gluing anyway."
Last but not least, in the new year, the company will expand its range of products, with the goal of starting new collaborations and reaching new European channels.
"I will personally strengthen the relationships with our clients to develop new strategies together to better penetrate the various markets segments. Additionally, we would like to acquire new qualified suppliers. We plan to increase sales by at least 30%, focusing mostly on packaged fresh herbs for foreign wholesalers."
For further information:
Ludan Fresh Supplies S.r.l.s.
Via dell'Industria, 26
84025 Eboli (SA) - Italy
+39 380 28 07 405
luigi@ludan.it
www.ludan.it/fresh