Germany has been one of the most important markets for Italian fruit and vegetable products for decades. Every year, tonnes of lettuce, brassicas, stone fruits and citrus fruits are exported from Italian gardens to Germany. M.EC. srl is one of the long-standing and reliable suppliers to the German food retail sector. Thanks in part to its modern in-house production, the highest quality standards and modern logistics, the company has always been able to hold its own in the market.
M.EC. srl was founded in 1996 by Giuseppe Casalino and Peter Mair (pictured above) and is now a leading company in the fruit and vegetable sector. The company originally specialised in the sale of mixed truckloads of fruit and vegetables to retailers throughout the European Union. The products came from all regions of Italy - from the juicy oranges and clementines of Sicily to the exquisite peaches and nectarines from Verona. The most important growing areas include Battipaglia, the Bari area, Latina and Chioggia.
Insight into the protected rocket cultivation.
Quality, reliability, and innovation
In 2009, M.EC. srl expanded its business area and entered the direct production of fruits and vegetables as well as the retail trade. "This marked an important milestone in the development of our company," says co-founder and Managing Director Peter Mair, looking back. A further step forward was taken in 2018 with the founding of a producer group. "The aim of this group is to ensure better product availability by integrating over 850 hectares of open-air cultivation and 250 hectares of state-of-the-art polytunnels into the production process. This merger has enabled us to significantly expand our product variety, gain direct access to production and ensure continuous quality control that meets ever-increasing demands."
The range of products and services will continue to be steadily expanded, continues Mair. "This winter season, we are expanding our production of oranges and clementines. We also offer a diverse range of vegetables, which includes our traditional Italian spring onions as well as Egyptian spring onions, which met with great interest from our customers last year. Quality, reliability, and innovation - from production to delivery - continue to be high priorities at M.EC. srl. "We look forward to supplying our customers with fresh, high-quality products and achieving sustainable success together," says Mair.
Italian lettuce.
Challenges in cultivation and distribution
Gruppo M.EC.'s most important customers include food retail chains and wholesalers throughout Europe, including Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland. "The recession in large parts of Europe will have an impact on people's purchasing power at some point. So far, we have only felt the effects in Austria, where consumers have been increasingly focussing on promotional products for around a year." On the supply side, 2024 will also be remembered as a particularly challenging year. "The heat in summer posed major challenges for us. Fruit crops such as grapes initially lacked colour and sugar content, and watermelons were also affected by various diseases in the field. We also went through a very difficult phase with rocket and spinach, two of our most important vegetable products, which we can normally supply twelve months a year. We had to virtually stop rocket production for around three weeks, i.e. from mid-August to early September, which led to a corresponding supply shortage. There were also cancellations for spinach, although we were able to deliver throughout."
Photo credit: Gruppo M.EC.
For more information:
Peter Mair
Gruppo M.EC.
Tel. +49 151 54453101
Phone +39 333 4700507
Email: [email protected]
www.gruppomec.it