Just a few days (September 21) at the inauguration of the Business and Production Center of Santa Caterina (Cortona, Arezzo – Italy). It will be the new headquarters of Bonifiche Ferraresi, one of the 21 Leopoldine farm buildings that are part of the restoration project to bring back to life the historical buildings of Valdichiana. The Center includes an innovative laboratory for research and processing of medicinal plants.
A little over a year ago, when the “Tuscany Project” was launched, the Bonifiche Ferraresi project for the agricultural reorganization of 1600 hectares and the architectural restoration of the Leopoldine (see previous article: http://www.ai-lati.eu/2018/03/12/more-value-to-valdichiana-territory/#more-618, is coming alive. Currently the restoration work has been completed on the “I Granai” farm in Cortona. It will host the new Business and Production Center of Santa Caterina that includes, in addition to offices, meeting areas, a space for welcoming and tasting products, also an innovative laboratory for research and processing of medicinal plants. The opening ceremony will take place on next Friday, 21st September. At 11 a.m., after the ribbon cutting and the greetings of the Mayor Francesca Basanieri (Cortona Municipality), Mario Agnelli (Castiglion Fiorentino Municipality), Juri Bettollini (Chiusi Municipality), the President of BF S.p.A. (Rossella Locatelli) and the CEO of OCRIM S.p.A. (Alberto Antolini), Federico Vecchioni, the CEO of BF S.p.A., will do the honors. The program includes the speeches of Gianluca Lelli (Director of the Coldiretti Economic Area), Vittorio Moscatelli (CEO of IPI S.p.A.), Andrea Burchi (Regional Manager of Centro Nord Unicredit), Paolo Tramonti (CEO of Biosline) and Enrico Rossi (President of the Tuscany Region). Guests can admire the restoration work of this Leopoldina, a fine architectonic example of the Valdichiana agricultural land. Among the solutions for conservative restoration of the building, the one adopted to protect the ancient brick floor with the installation of a glass raised floor is significant. A large portion of the 1,500 square meters of the new headquarters is reserved for the laboratory of medicinal plants, a Bonifiche Ferraresi strictly controlled production, which includes the cultivation of exclusively Italian species and the low temperature drying process to ensure optimal conservation and enhancement of aromas and benefits. The result is a full-bodied and harmonious taste, with the unmistakable scent of a freshly picked plant, one of the distinctive aspects of the “Le Stagioni d’Italia” herbal teas. The production and the distribution are the result of a close collaboration between Bonifiche Ferraresi and Biosline, a company specializing in nutritional supplements and natural cosmetics that uses raw materials extracted from medicinal plants.
How much is Bonifiche Ferraresi worth?
In 2017, the value of Bonifiche Ferraresi production rose from € 18.3 million (2016) to € 45.1 million. A result made possible by the integration policy of the agri-food supply chain that, with the acquisition of S.I.S. S.p.A. (finalized in December 2017), allowed the group to implement a seed production control and total control on the genetics of the product. In the same period the verticalization of the agri-food supply chain in the vegetable protein sector was completed with the acquisition, by B.F. Agro-industriale S.p.A., of the business branch of Suba Alimentare S.r.l, favoring the development of new market shares in the GDO – ORGANISED RETAILING AND DISTRIBUTION INDUSTRY. The transition from a massive product to a product of high added value has allowed Bonifiche Ferraresi to conquer a high level of quality and to arrive directly to the consumer with its own brands. The numbers confirm the success: in 2017, the EBITDA value has increased from 3.7 million euros (year 2016) to 3.9 million (EBITDA ADJUSTED of 5 million euros).