Italian firm inspired after attending first PMA Fresh Summit
Italian firm inspired after attending first PMA Fresh Summit
Speedy97 S.r.l., headquartered in Scordia in the province of Catania, Sicily, is a major grower and packer of high-quality Sicilian citrus fruits. Sebastiano Spicchiale, president and chief executive officer, Rudolf Baron Von Freyberg, partner and vice president, and Giuseppe Spicchiale, junior partner, attended their first PMA Fresh Summit in Houston in October. Initially not certain of what they would learn about doing business in the United States, they came away from the PMA experience inspired by future possibilities.
"We were able to meet with some major importers-distributors," said Mr. Freyberg. "There was some apprehension in our attempt to do business in the U.S. due to a negative experience we had during a past attempt, but we were inspired to learn for ourselves about the potential in dealing with trustworthy firms. We walked away from the expo knowing there are strong possibilities, and we look forward to following through with the highly regarded and well established companies with which we met."
Speedy97 has approximately 2,500 grove-acres and produces 25,000 metric tons of Tarocco, Moro and Sanguinelli blood orange varieties. It also produces easy-peel Navel and Valencia oranges and lemons.
Moro and Tarocco varieties run from Dec. 20 to April 20, while Sanguinellis run from Feb. 1 through April 30.
Sicily is known for its exceptional-quality citrus fruits, and many consider the three blood orange varieties to be among the best in the world. About 80 percent of the company's production is fit for worldwide distribution, 10 percent is sold locally and about 10 percent is used for juice processing. "Currently about 70 percent of our crop is sold throughout Italy, and 30 percent is exported to Austria, Sweden, Germany, Denmark and Belgium," said Mr. Freyberg. "We have no barriers related to world trade."
International food-safety certifications are also in place at Speedy97. It is HACCP- and ISO-certified, and holds top-level ratings from both the British Retail Consortium and International Food Standard.
"We operate out of a cutting-edge facility with sophisticated packing abilities," said Mr. Freyberg. "Our desire to broaden our distribution range into the United States is strong. We believe that healthy relationships with working partners is the key to successful relationships that lead to trust, wealth and expansion."
Mr. Freyberg said that challenges are typical when dealing with exports to a country for the first time, and they generally include logistics and fluctuating dollar exchanges. He said that flexibilities between working partners are key to overcoming any potential issues.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture established import protocol for Sicilian citrus fruit several years ago, and all details are in place for American consumers to enjoy more of the sweet flavor and high nutritional benefits of Sicily's world-famous citrus fruits. Like other citrus-producing countries that are thousands of miles from U.S. shores, such as Spain, South Africa and Australia, Sicily is well positioned to ship to the United States. The island produces on approximately 170,000 acres of citrus.
At the PMA Fresh Summit, the Speedy97 executives met with several major U.S. distributors, including Mayda Sotomayor and David Mixon of Seald Sweet International, headquartered in Vero Beach, FL. They also met with Peter Kroner, director of corporate development and purchasing for Eli & Ali's in Brooklyn, NY, a major northeastern distributor of specialty produce. And they rekindled old friendships, including one with John Lazopoulos Jr., sales manager for Spain and Morocco citrus for DNE World Fruit headquartered in Fort Pierce, FL.
"The sad day has come much too early -- today we are leaving this amazing place," Mr. Freyberg told The Produce News Oct. 16 following the close of the PMA Fresh Summit. "We had a marvelous time, experienced real eye- and mind-opening conversations and had highly inspiring meetings. People were absolutely gracious, generous and helpful to us. Sebastiano, Giuseppe and I are and amazed and happy, and we now have a true impression and more realistic vision about the U.S."
"We were able to meet with some major importers-distributors," said Mr. Freyberg. "There was some apprehension in our attempt to do business in the U.S. due to a negative experience we had during a past attempt, but we were inspired to learn for ourselves about the potential in dealing with trustworthy firms. We walked away from the expo knowing there are strong possibilities, and we look forward to following through with the highly regarded and well established companies with which we met."
Speedy97 has approximately 2,500 grove-acres and produces 25,000 metric tons of Tarocco, Moro and Sanguinelli blood orange varieties. It also produces easy-peel Navel and Valencia oranges and lemons.
Moro and Tarocco varieties run from Dec. 20 to April 20, while Sanguinellis run from Feb. 1 through April 30.
Sicily is known for its exceptional-quality citrus fruits, and many consider the three blood orange varieties to be among the best in the world. About 80 percent of the company's production is fit for worldwide distribution, 10 percent is sold locally and about 10 percent is used for juice processing. "Currently about 70 percent of our crop is sold throughout Italy, and 30 percent is exported to Austria, Sweden, Germany, Denmark and Belgium," said Mr. Freyberg. "We have no barriers related to world trade."
International food-safety certifications are also in place at Speedy97. It is HACCP- and ISO-certified, and holds top-level ratings from both the British Retail Consortium and International Food Standard.
"We operate out of a cutting-edge facility with sophisticated packing abilities," said Mr. Freyberg. "Our desire to broaden our distribution range into the United States is strong. We believe that healthy relationships with working partners is the key to successful relationships that lead to trust, wealth and expansion."
Mr. Freyberg said that challenges are typical when dealing with exports to a country for the first time, and they generally include logistics and fluctuating dollar exchanges. He said that flexibilities between working partners are key to overcoming any potential issues.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture established import protocol for Sicilian citrus fruit several years ago, and all details are in place for American consumers to enjoy more of the sweet flavor and high nutritional benefits of Sicily's world-famous citrus fruits. Like other citrus-producing countries that are thousands of miles from U.S. shores, such as Spain, South Africa and Australia, Sicily is well positioned to ship to the United States. The island produces on approximately 170,000 acres of citrus.
At the PMA Fresh Summit, the Speedy97 executives met with several major U.S. distributors, including Mayda Sotomayor and David Mixon of Seald Sweet International, headquartered in Vero Beach, FL. They also met with Peter Kroner, director of corporate development and purchasing for Eli & Ali's in Brooklyn, NY, a major northeastern distributor of specialty produce. And they rekindled old friendships, including one with John Lazopoulos Jr., sales manager for Spain and Morocco citrus for DNE World Fruit headquartered in Fort Pierce, FL.
"The sad day has come much too early -- today we are leaving this amazing place," Mr. Freyberg told The Produce News Oct. 16 following the close of the PMA Fresh Summit. "We had a marvelous time, experienced real eye- and mind-opening conversations and had highly inspiring meetings. People were absolutely gracious, generous and helpful to us. Sebastiano, Giuseppe and I are and amazed and happy, and we now have a true impression and more realistic vision about the U.S."
