Ecological islands, the winning formula from Almaverde Bio

The “Isola” project, which consists of maintaining separate, clearly signed islands of ecological produce in Italian distribution centres, continues harvesting successes

The experiment of the Islands from Almaverde Bio is clearly an example of a success in Italy and a model to follow.

“The islands are personalised spaces in the heart of the fruit and vegetable departments of the supermarkets and hypermarkets, where the widest selection of Italian ecological fruit and vegetables is sold. They are well characterised and defined areas where consumers enter the house of the producing members of the cooperative Apofruit, under the umbrella brand Almaverde Bio,” the Manager Paolo Pari affirms.

The project was born in 2015, and today it already has its 50th space. Sources from Almaverde Bio assert that it is the right formula to motivate the purchase and consumption of ecological produce and an initiative that helps to create new consumers.

The ‘ecological islands’, managed by Canova, a company from the Apofruit Group, are dispersed over eight Italian regions: Lazio, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Abruzzo, Tuscany, Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto, with six large distribution brands involved.

In 2022, sales rose to 1,400 tonnes of fresh and packaged ecological fruit and vegetables, and in the first quarter of 2023 the market grew by 17%. This data contrasts with the general market trend, which is experiencing a slowdown in ecological consumption.

This month of May has seen the latest opening of one of these islands, located in one of the largest fruit and vegetable display spaces in the country, at the Ipercoop of le Mura de Ferrara and it is added to the fifty spaces of these characteristics dispersed around Italy.

The format’s good results are allowing the Italian company to forecast the creation of new spaces throughout 2023, with these new openings possibly reaching 60 Almaverde Bio Islands, as Paolo Pari advanced to Fruit Today at the last edition of Macfrut that was held in May at the Rimini Expo Centre in Italy.

Communication activities

The communication activities are backed up by the ‘It’s Bio’ project by AOP GruppoVi.Va, which provides space for promotional actions at the point of sale to reach not only the loyal purchasers, but also new consumers of ecological produce.

It’s Bio is a project funded by the EU and AOP GruppoVi.Va, in which Almaverde Bio, Apofruit, Codma OP, Ca’ Nova, Coop Sole, AOP La Mongolfiera, OrtoRomi and OP Terre di Bari all participate.

Almaverde Bio considers that the islands are spaces to spread knowledge and inform about the nutritional values of ecological produce, as well as the perfect place to advise about the benefits provided by ecological production.

“The lack of synthetic chemical products in the protection of the plants and the exclusive use of organic fertilisers are just some of the characteristics that distinguish this production method that is certified by the EU”, Paolo Pari, the Director of the project, indicates.

“Ecological production means seeing companies grow that are mainly managed by young farmers committed to defending the environment, who are fighting against climate change and who are highly conscious about reducing the carbon footprint of their productions,” Pari concludes.