Conserve Italia, the leading Italian preserved food cooperative behind brands such as Cirio, Valfrutta, and Jolly Colombani, has kicked off its 2025 industrial tomato processing campaign with ambitious targets and a renewed focus on efficiency and sustainability.
The group expects to process 515,000 tonnes of 100% Italian-grown tomatoes this season—a 19.5% increase over 2024—sourced from more than 6,000 hectares of farmland across key agricultural regions including Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio, Umbria, Apulia, and Basilicata.
To support the heightened production, the company has hired around 1,400 seasonal workers across its five processing plants:
Pomposa (Ferrara): 550 workers for 260,000 tonnes.
XII Morelli (Ferrara): 70 workers for 38,000 tonnes.
Ravarino (Modena): 120 workers for 80,000 tonnes, including 18,000 tonnes of organic tomatoes.
Albinia (Grosseto): 200 workers for 84,000 tonnes.
Mesagne (Brindisi): 450 workers for 53,000 tonnes, primarily long tomatoes destined for peeled products.
INVESTMENT IN TECHNOLOGY AND EMISSIONS CUTS
This season also marks the operational debut of five new mechanical vapor recompression “Thor” evaporators, part of a €25mn investment aimed at improving environmental performance. The technology is expected to reduce annual CO₂ emissions by 12,000 tonnes, cut water usage, enhance energy efficiency, and support product quality through greater process control and digitalisation.
The evaporators are part of a broader €86mn capital expenditure plan, which includes further automation at the company’s flagship Pomposa facility—the largest tomato processing site in Europe. The expansion of its automated warehouse will lift capacity to 120,000 pallet spaces, while the deployment of 23 autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) is designed to improve traceability, operational efficiency, and on-site safety.
CONSERVE ITALIA AUTHENTIC SUPPLY CHAIN
Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Maurizio Gardini, president of Conserve Italia, said: “We continue to invest in maximizing the value of the raw material supplied by our Italian grower-members. Our strength lies in an authentic cooperative supply chain that creates income and value for the national agricultural system.”
Gardini acknowledged that spring rainfall had delayed transplanting in some regions, forcing the group to revise parts of its production schedule. Nevertheless, he stressed Conserve Italia’s readiness to support farmers with the group’s “reliability and resilience.”
The company’s general manager Pier Paolo Rosetti underlined the company’s integrated approach: “From seed to finished product, we are committed to innovation in every phase of the supply chain. Our industrial, logistical, and agronomic upgrades allow us to deliver a tomato that is increasingly sustainable and environmentally responsible—while maintaining quality and competitiveness in global markets.”
L’articolo Conserve Italia Launches Tomato Harvest Campaign proviene da Italianfood.net.
