They were among the first to
start with organic products in Italy forty years ago, when nobody talked about
it. A portrait of Sarchio which, in 1982 in Carpi, decided to stake on healthy
and natural foods free from colouring agents, preservatives and chemical
additives. And, most of all, organic. For FARE INSIEME, Giampaolo Colletti
interviewed Cesare Roberto, President of Sarchio
of Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
“Forgetting how to hoe the
ground and take care of the soil means forgetting yourself.” Repeated as a
mantra Shunryū Suzuki, Sōtō a Zen monk and teacher, founder of the first Zen
monastery outside of Asia. Thought conjures up the idea of memory, waiting,
cure. But also of work in the fields that entails sweat and satisfaction.
Therefore, making things properly. After all, we find all this in the story we
are about to tell. Work in the fields is even found in the name of this company
which, over the years, has become a compass to direct sustainable and organic
consumption. Because that reference to a sarchio
(i.e. hoe) - a wooden and iron shovel with slightly curved blades used as a
tool in agriculture - conveys the whole identity of the company. Hoeing, i.e.
also earthing up plants, covering seeds, taking care of the soil and, after
all, of ourselves. The company name evolved over time: in the beginning, it was
called “La sagra del contadino” (i.e. the farmer's festival) from a painting by
Emilian painter Brenno Benatti that depicts a farm with a farmer turning over
the soil using a hoe.
A
story of pioneers. Everything started in 1982 with that healthy
obsession of supplying wholesome and natural products free from colouring
agents, preservatives and chemical additives. And more. Organic food. We need
to understand that talking about organic products at that time was rather
bizarre in Italy and in world. We find ourselves in Carpi, the most populous of
the municipalities in the Modena province. A land inhabited by great workers
with brilliant insights. A land of pioneers, as can be seen from the story of
Sarchio. “We are among the pioneers of organic food in Italy. Our main strength
is production, which starts with an accurate selection of the best raw
materials. Recipes are created using only a few simple ingredients to make
genuine food,”reports Cesare Roberto, President of Sarchio. Therefore, the
company worked to obtain standard certifications and to promote the value of
the products by inserting clear explanatory information on the packaging. “In
over forty years, we went from 0 to 4% of consumption. This year will be our
40th anniversary. As we keep saying, we are pioneers of healthy and
chemical-free food. This entails many choices. At the time, it seemed nothing
could be created in the world without chemicals and laboratories. But...,” explains Roberto. In that but, there is the idea of going off
the beaten track with courage, audacity and at times recklessness. Time proved
this company right, as it now records a turnover of €18 million and has 66
employees. From Carpi to the rest of the world: in Spain, a branch was set up
in 2014, but it is also present in other countries in Europe and the Middle
East. The company acquired Vital Nature Spa in October 2021, a historic
institution from Modena specializing in the commercialization of organic food. “Organic
products are based on improvement. They respect the land and the environment.
Today we see the limits of unfortunate choices made in the opposite direction
to organic farming and the reduction of chemical use in agriculture. At the
time, we were swimming against the tide when it came to consumer choices.
Almost alien. We were aware of that. It was difficult to make people understand
the value of organic products, argue their stance, but we knew we were in the
right because we knew organic agriculture was the only sustainable choice for
the environment, even at the time we did not have the support of the
regulations and consumers.” A record company: in 2006, it was the first to
obtain the authorisation to produce organic and gluten-free food by the Italian
Ministry of Health.
The earthquake and extension of the facility. In 2017, the
historical headquarters of almost three thousand square metres was joined by a
new facility: over six thousand square metres divided into three factories to
expand the production lines to nine, with departments dedicated exclusively to
gluten-free food to manage processing even better in terms of safety. The choice of building a new “Sarchio house”
was also made necessary by the earthquake of 2012, which damaged the historic
offices forcing people to work in containers for a prolonged period of time.
But it is precisely during difficulties that the Emilian temperament emerges,
that spirit that makes the difference. “We looked at ourselves and rolled up
our sleeves. Today, the new facility represents a concrete example of energy
efficiency with a low environmental impact. It was designed to guarantee the
maximum safety and the total well-being of employees,” reports Roberto. Thus an
organic green area is born, where flowers, fruit trees and vegetables are grown
and available to employees. From the foods typical of the traditional Emilian
cuisine to the more innovative ones, with a focus on gluten free and vegan
products. Over 170 organic products sold mainly in big retail chain stores.
With a constant eye to the market, with new products that keep up with the
ever-evolving times. “But we continue to invest in what has made us grow.
Organic products are our compass,” concludes Roberto. After all, everything can
be summed up in what Shunryū Suzuki once said: “Our tendency is to be
interested in something that is growing in the garden, not in the bare soil
itself. But if you want to have a good harvest, the most important thing is to
make the soil rich and cultivate it well”.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
Read the other interviews
