Italian producer of ready-to-eat fruit and vegetables invests €25 million in technological development plan

In November 2021, La Linea Verde planned an investment of €25 million for a new 3-year plan (2021-2023) named “Fast Farm to Fork”. Dedicated to the group’s factories, the project seeks to move towards Agriculture & Industry 4.0 and sustainable production processes, aiming to boost the quality of the finished product and the efficacy of the supply chain, consolidating the group’s key production area, fresh-cut salads.

The investments are directed to the purchase of systems and software destined to allow for greater process automation and digitalisation. 

The project also foresees extensive efforts with a view to guaranteeing sustainability:

- Respect for the raw materials. The new production structure makes the most of agricultural produce, with a process that is adaptable to the specific features of the raw materials. 

- Reduction in food waste. The new production layout enables more efficient planning, and thus positively impacts food waste levels.

- Further water consumption reduction. Over the last 5 years, La Linea Verde decreased its water consumption by 18% within its production processes; and by 2023, consumption will be reduced by a further 20%, also due to the recovery of part of the water utilized for washing the fresh-cut salads, which will be re-used for non-food purposes.

- Self-produced energy. The company installed a trigeneration plant that enables partial energy production in loco, increasing the level of self-produced energy by 58 percent.

According to Andrea Battagliola, General Manager of La Linea Verde, innovation equals change, based on improved product quality and efficiency of the system, as well as increased sustainability.

The general manager highlighted that respect to the land and quality of the finished product are key, when it comes to all processes of La Linea Verde. Digital transformation, innovative machinery and sustainability are foundation of their operation.