Girolomoni boosts production and logistics

In the organic district of the Marche region, the largest in Europe with over 70 thousand cultivated hectares (26.6% of the total agricultural area), 2,100 companies and 4,200 operators engaged in various production sectors, the Gino Girolomoni Agricultural Cooperative represents a point of reference. First and foremost, for its business model: the company, founded in the 1970s in Isola del Piano, in the Pesaro area, from the intuition of founder Gino Girolomoni, today brings together 450 associated farms in a supply chain (each with its own employees) and employs 70 people directly at the mill and pasta factory. "It means having a complete durum wheat supply chain, all owned and zero-kilometre," emphasises sales manager Sergio Moretti, "certainly a value for the organic world, but above all for everything that revolves around it, a true ecosystem of sustainability and the strong values expressed by our brand, which restores dignity to the land. The total Sau (utilised agricultural area) of the members is about 30,000 hectares, but considering the rotation crops and other activities, 8,000 hectares are allocated each year to the cooperative's needs, 5,000 of which are dedicated to cereals for pasta. 120,000 quintals of wheat are processed into pasta, with production reaching over 80,000 quintals per year.

In the first nine months of this year, turnover was close to 13 million euro, up 15% in value and 20% in volume compared to the same period last year. "This positive trend is also a consequence of the partial price reduction on pasta that took place in January," explains Moretti. "For this year, we are aiming to maintain market shares in both Italy and Europe, but we expect growth in the North American market, which had been less brilliant in the last two years. For Girolomoni, despite growth in the domestic market, exports have a preponderant weight: they are worth 72% of turnover this year, but it was 76% in 2022 and is estimated to be 75% in 2025.

Accompanying this objective is an upgraded production plant, with the introduction of the latest generation of machinery for the pasta factory and the construction of new offices for an investment of EUR 3 million. A further 2 million will be spent to introduce a line that will double the production capacity of short pasta and, further on, new investments will involve the construction of a new logistics centre to serve the supply chain, equipped with a grain storage area and a warehouse for products.