Even before ecology and “healthy eating” became topics of current interest and received wide attention from the media and companies, Sarchio made environmental sustainability and food wellness its mission. The first Italian company to offer organic and gluten-free food, Sarchio has been committed since 1982 to the production and marketing of organic, healthy, and natural food.
Starting from the typical foods of the initial traditional Italian cuisine – which have remained within the range – Sarchio has specialized in more innovative products, dedicaated to those who follow particular eating styles or are intolerant to certain ingredients, with a focus on gluten-free and vegan.
CEO of Sarchio
To learn more about this innovative company, we interviewed Cesare Roberto, CEO of Sarchio.
Your company has been committed to sustainability since its origins, at a time when attention to ecology and respect for the environment was not yet as widespread as it is today. Where does this attention come from?
Respect for nature and the environment and the spread of the culture of a correct and healthy diet have always been our company mission, to which we add a careful selection of the best organic raw materials, for safe and healthy products.
Talking about the introduction of regulations related to organic products, you touched on a fundamental point: how did the introduction, in 1991, of the EEC Regulation regulating organic farming methods influence your reality?
Before that date, there were several agencies in charge of verifying that foods called organic met certain requirements in the production, processing, and transformation of raw materials. The introduction of a Community Regulation that regulates the method of organic farming and defines univocal “rules of conduct” has allowed to spread a real culture of “organic” and to define a set of univocal rules to be followed by everyone.
Another important date for the development of Sarchio is 2004, the year in which the company began the process of obtaining authorization from the Ministry of Health for the production of gluten-free dietary foods. Even more decisive was 2006, when with the arrival of the authorization Sarchio became the first Italian company to produce organic and gluten-free foods. Where does the attention to gluten-free come from?
Sarchio has always promoted a healthy, balanced diet with a high nutritional value. The research and the intention to offer innovative products with a high health and nutritional content has spontaneously translated into the development of a line of organic products suitable for those who follow special diets related to food intolerances: today an entire production area of the company is dedicated to the production of gluten-free products.
Researching goodness and ensuring a high standard of quality remains the guiding principle of the entire range of products. All products are designed to be good and suitable for the whole family because they are produced first of all with strictly selected organic raw materials. Our motto is “Good for everyone because they are organic and also… gluten-free”.
What are the main markets in which the company operates? Do you also export abroad? Is there a typical customer?
As far as our distribution is concerned, today we are 90% in Italy and 10% abroad. Sarchio’s “typical customer” is certainly the consumer who supports a lifestyle based on health, wellbeing, and sensitivity to environmental issues, who prefers organic food and its natural and simple flavours as an alternative to conventional food.
The entire range includes almost 180 organic products, including a gluten-free line (about 90 items) refundable by the National Health System and a vegan line: a complete range ideal for coeliacs, vegetarians, vegans, adults, children, and anyone who wants to make a healthier and more balanced diet a real lifestyle.
So far we have talked mainly about the choice of raw materials, but committing to the environment and ecology is not limited to the choice of sustainable products, it is a complex process, made of different stages. It starts with production, goes through transportation, packaging, distribution, and sales. How does Sarchio take care of these different aspects?
The use of “clean” energy with a perspective of energy saving and environmental sustainability has been a priority that has conditioned the plant choices.
Our company headquarters is built according to innovative building criteria, energy efficiency and low environmental impact, also from the point of view of the systems: we have a photovoltaic system with a total power of about 110,000 kWh/year that covers almost all the energy needs of the structure, and thanks to special compressors we recover hot water for the production areas.
Packaging is an extremely important and controversial issue, as it is closely linked to the production and disposal of plastic materials. How does Sarchio reduce the impact of its product packaging on the environment? Do you use particular technologies in this area?
We have been working for some years on gradually replacing the external plastic present in the packaging of our products with paper. We have eliminated 60% to 70% of plastic from the wrapping of cookies and breakfast cereals and this change will involve a large part of the Sarchio range.
We pay particular attention to the packaging phase of the products where recyclable materials such as cardboard and paper tape are used, trying to limit the use of non-recyclable materials to a minimum.
As far as the packaging of our products is concerned, our partnership with Tecnopack, a company that produces machinery for the packaging and preservation of products with which we have been collaborating since 2012, is fundamental. It was together with Tecnopack that we accepted the challenge of trying to minimize the impact of packaging, making it 100% recyclable. A challenge that today, thanks to this strategic partnership, we can consider won.
