Back in 1986, five families from Battipaglia (Italy) decided to join forces and unite their companies in a single partnership under the name of Finagricola. Decades later, three of the original five families still remain and are now in their second generation of working together. “The goal of the founding members was to be able to supply very high-quality products in large volumes,” explains Fabio Palo, who runs the family business together with his brother, two cousins and the Citro brothers. “We can produce up to 50 million plants in the four winter months alone, thanks to good teamwork and always keeping our fathers’ goal in mind.” In fact, the root of their collaboration stems from the desire to challenge the market, in which it is common to find either high-quality produce or large quantities, but rarely both at the same time.
The Palo and Citro families take great care over how their vegetables are produced, from the seed right up to the finished product: “Every production step is extremely important. That is why we grow the plants ourselves in our nurseries, and check them ourselves in our own certified laboratories. We start by analysing the water and soil in order to give the plants just the right balance of nutrients as nature intended.” The company is located on the Piana del Sele, a very fertile area and hence an important crop-growing region in Italy. The Palo and Citro families are continually engaged in improving their products, and always with particular attention to the environment. “In fact, the vegetables are grown according to integrated farming principles, which means that chemicals are used only when absolutely necessary,” continues Fabio Palo.
Growing on 350 hectares under glasshouses, Finagricola produces almost all vegetable varieties typically found in the Mediterranean region for year-round distribution in Italy and throughout Europe. The most popular products are lettuces, tomatoes, capsicum, eggplants and melons. “We are really happy to be part of Love my Salad,” says Fabio Palo. “And we hope that the salad-lovers will try our recipes…maybe even using our own products!”
