Santagata 1907 at the PMIDAY 2021

On Friday 19th November, as representatives of the food industry, we took part in PMIDAY 2021 where we presented our company and talked about certifications, quality, professionals and innovation.

The company today

As well as being present on the Italian market – which remains our reference market – our company has expanded into the Spanish market. Spain is the leading European producer of olive oil in terms of quantity. This market expansion enabled us to achieve a turnover of 110 million euros last year. With 4 warehouses in Italy and 1 in Spain, our storage capacity has reached 8000 tonnes of product.

The most sought-after professions

The most in-demand professions in our sector are those who specialise in certification. Certifications are essential both for the smooth running of our activities and for the growth of our business. There are two main types of certification to which we pay attention: on the one hand, those aimed at meeting international standards – such as the BRC (British Retail Con. Standard) or the IFS Certificate (International Food Standard), which is required by large-scale retail chains to certify the control process of the production chain; on the other hand, certifications that can be traced back to food practices specific to the culture or religion of peoples, which are now required all over the world precisely to meet the wealth and diversity of the populations that use our products, such as Kosher Certification or Halal Certification.

Another very important certification is the biological certification, which is closely linked to the issue of quality and attention to the procedures that are followed to guarantee the production process and the company to its customers.

“Certifications can be defined as rules that we producers set ourselves in order to grow, improve and guarantee a uniquely qualitative product”, said Cristina Santagata during her speech.

Among the professionals we are most looking for there are graduates in chemistry – the product, in fact, must comply with specific chemical-physical parameters – and all those involved in safety and quality.

What innovation means

The rapid change in demand – between increasingly demanding consumers and increasingly dynamic markets – requires the company to have a continuous drive towards innovation.

One of the most recent interventions we are carrying out right now is the innovation of the storage silos: through inert gases we avoid product oxidation. All the activities to guarantee a quality product are central to the management of our company and the necessary investments.

In addition, the company has recently invested in a start-up dedicated to smart farming solutions. This is Piano Green, founded in collaboration with the technology company Fos spa, and its aim is to offer the market technological and innovative solutions in the agricultural field.