Arena Fruit is both a grower and a distributor of a range of fruits and vegetables grown in its own greenhouses in Santa Maria di Zevio and those supplied by other growers throughout Italy.
“We guarantee our customers will be able to take delivery of freshly harvested produce within 48 hours of their order being received by us,” says Sales and Marketing Director Marco Paoli. “Our clients expect high-quality produce and absolute freshness. We work seven days a week to ensure that they get both.”
Punctuality and speed are vital when working with perishable goods. Arena Fruit always uses two drivers for its own delivery trucks so that they can drive through without stopping.
“Orders are relayed directly to growers throughout Italy so that the required produce can be picked, packed and loaded for immediate delivery,” says Mr. Paoli. “Within 48 hours it arrives at the customer’s warehouse for onward distribution to their retail outlets.”
The main markets served by Arena are in Germany and Holland, where the company has contracts with major importers to retail chains such as Aldi and Rewe as well as the most important markets in the two countries.
With such a tight schedule, Arena Fruit has to ensure that its partners also know the score. It carefully chooses partners it can rely on to produce high-quality crops and keep to its strict timetable.
The product range is wide and covers citrus fruits, apples, pears, grapes, summer berries, plums, kiwis and kaki fruit as well as an even wider range of vegetables. Arena Fruit is well known for its greens and rocket in particular. Delicate lettuce leaves are extremely perishable, but Arena has won a deserved reputation for delivering excellent quality.
“We have a range of quality certifications and also ensure that the same standards apply throughout the production chain,” says Mr. Paoli. “The standards are extremely high with even the seeds and the irrigation water tested for their quality.”
Arena Fruit is a family-owned company employing 15 people and generating 13 million EUR in turnover. Growth in recent years has reached 20% per year, reflecting strong demand for fresh produce.
“We are keen to expand our reach still further by targeting customers in the UK,” says Mr. Paoli, whose father Claudio founded the company in 1997. “I am planning to visit potential customers in the UK in the near future and start building up a client base there.
