Services

The B2B e-commerce solution is aimed at wholesale and international retail clients for purchasing plants and flowers.

It is part of the Cooperative’s digitalization efforts, designed to optimize and effectively develop commercial relationships with international customers during the purchasing phase.

This new service improves operational efficiency and work organization, aligning with the goal of digitizing processes for the benefit of our clients.

The agrotechnical service and laboratory at L’Ortofrutticola are a unique, cutting-edge center. The agrotechnical office and laboratory at L’Ortofrutticola are two key aspects of providing essential services, offered free of charge, to our members and customers. The Cooperative's agrotechnical support is a local point of reference, available for quick responses tailored to the realities of the Albenga Plain, focusing on proper purchasing of phytotherapeutic and agricultural products. Agricultural businesses have access to two agronomists, two agricultural experts, and one biologist who offer free assistance to our members. Common inquiries include plant problems, soil analysis, advice on applying the right fertilizers, biological pest control, and solving plant infestations and fungal diseases.

The assistance, highly appreciated by operators, is also provided on-site at farms in the afternoons, by appointment.

Our experienced and specialized team has built strong collaborations with the University of Bologna, other leading Italian universities, the IRF (Regional Institute for Floriculture), the Liguria Region, the Chamber of Commerce of Savona and product manufacturers.

In our phytopharmacology, you can find the entire range of agrochemicals. Both freely sold items and those available only with a "license" are offered. L’Ortofrutticola pharmacy is considered the largest in Liguria.

At L’Ortofrutticola Cooperative of Albenga, we have a logistics facility that fully supports the inbound and outbound product cycle: 3.000 square meters featuring areas for the receipt of products from over 600 member farms, storage and preservation of goods, internal handling, packaging and shipping to both Italian and international customers.

The warehouse also handles products for Ortoshop, a 1.200 sq. meter space open to the public (private and professional). We offer vegetables, fruits, and herbs (all from member farms), processed products (jams, sauces, preserves, etc.), potted plants (from herbs to fruit trees and flowers) and a wide range of items for agriculture, gardening and pets.

For incoming and outgoing goods, there are seven loading docks that can operate simultaneously. Trucks are loaded efficiently and can quickly access the Albenga highway entrance, just a few kilometers from the Cooperative's headquarters. From there, they can head to national and international delivery destinations.

All products delivered by member farms are received at the 3.000 sq. meter warehouse. Here, products undergo further processing (storage and packaging) for potted plants, vegetables, fruit and fresh herbs.

Packaging of potted plants

In the Cooperative's logistics warehouse, we handle 400 trolleys daily, totaling approximately 5.000.000 potted plants annually.

Potted plants are individually packaged with stickers or custom labels, which may be provided by the customer or created by us according to their needs and requirements. If requested, we also replace pots with special pots or cache-pots. The packaging of potted plants is tailored to the type of plant and customer preferences. Typically, plants are packed in carton, wooden, or plastic trays. Shipments are made on organized trolleys and pallets, with each trolley organized to ensure maximum protection for the plants during transport and to facilitate quick and easy verification of the order’s compliance: number of plants, type, and labeling.

Vegetables and fruit

Vegetables and fruit that arrive at the warehouse are sorted and stored to be packaged based on purchase orders from the sales department. To maintain freshness, we use refrigerated rooms to store seasonal products. These items are processed and packaged on the same day, with shipments occurring within 24 hours of receipt.

For vegetables, we have two packaging lines that can handle various sizes of packaging. Packaged products are destined for local GDO (including private label), Ho.Re.Ca., and international wholesalers and distributors.

Packaging of fresh cut herbs

Fresh cut herbs are packaged in traditional trays (white polystyrene or clear material) or in the new "From the Field to the Producer" line by L’Ortofrutticola of Albenga. This unique packaging includes 10-12 herbs arranged in 30-gram trays, primarily distributed through GDO. The packaging highlights that the product is local: "From the Field to the Producer, L’Ortofrutticola of Albenga."

The Cooperative’s agrotechnical assistance helps member farms obtain quality certifications: GLOBAL G.A.P. and Organic.

The Cooperative’s agrotechnical assistance supports member farms in obtaining quality certifications: GLOBALG.A.P. and Organic. The goal is to allow our members to access all markets, particularly those in Northern Europe and the domestic market managed by GDO, which is increasingly focused on selecting certified products. Often, Italian GDO requires even more stringent protocols than the reference standards for organic production. Our agronomic center assists farms in following all necessary practices, both in the field and from a bureaucratic standpoint, to ensure their products meet the required quality standards. These include self-control systems, agronomic practices to safeguard product safety and traceability and sustainable processes across the entire supply chain.

The most important certification is GLOBAL G.A.P.: farms producing ornamental flowers must meet the FO (Flower and Ornamental) checklist, while those with food production must meet the FV (Fruit and Vegetables) standards.

The ORGANIC certification does not exclude other certifications and is a defined agricultural certification system regulated at the community level that prohibits the use of synthetic chemicals and GMOs.

The Cooperative supports farms throughout the certification process by conducting a preliminary inspection to identify and correct any deficiencies, such as the phytopharmaceutical cabinet, arrangement of products and inventory of pesticides and fertilizers, etc.

We can also prepare all necessary documentation for the inspection by the Control Body, including the farm record and farm mapping – the division of plots with appropriate signage.

Our support continues during the audit with the certifying body and after certification is obtained.