Farchioni Olii SpA, the Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil producer, has implemented traceability and quality management systems in order to strengthen the Farchioni brand. In a growing and highly competitive industry, the company is committed to further developing consumer confidence in their product.
The late October evening sun is reflected in the glossy leaves of the olive trees in the valley of Umbria. The pouring rain has finally stopped, allowing Andrea Violetti, quality manager for Farchioni Olii SpA, a chance to sample his product. He reaches for an olive and crushes the delicate skin in his mouth, sucking out the pulp. "Just as juicy as only the best Farchioni olives can be!" he declares. Behind a mask of concentration, Violetti smiles and gently rolls the olive between two fingers, looking for damage.
Local ownership
This is where Farchioni's 223 years of tradition and experience make a difference. Farchioni has built its reputation on its knowledge, creating consumer confidence and trust in the marketplace.
Farchioni is located in Umbria, two hours drive north of Rome in central Italy. With about 800,000 inhabitants living mostly in small, agricultural villages tucked into rolling hills, Umbria remains a vital region with its own strong cultural identity. No less than 100,000 farmers supply Farchioni with olives. About 100 local olive presses, organized into 50-60 press companies, supply Farchioni with cold pressed, natural oil. Once delivered, the Farchionis complete the process of blending, storing, bottling and branding the oil before distributing it to the marketplace.
Farchioni's decentralized production supply requires a high level of quality assurance to secure quality consciousness at every point of the olive oil production chain. This focus embraces both Farchioni factory and the suppliers.
Traceability
"The numerous phases of production are the most important reason to establish a traceability system," says Andrea Violetti. The traceability system at Farchioni's is certified by DNV.
Food safety issues should be met with a systematic approach designed to minimise the possibility of unsafe food. The process is most successfully and effectively implemented when it is integrated with a quality management system. Farchioni's system is certified by DNV in compliance with the ISO 9001:2000 standard.
Every bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil produced at Farchioni can be traced back step by step from the table to the fields. Printed on the label of every bottle of extra virgin olive oil is a number. By punching the number into the olive factory's website, the consumer can obtain information about the olive, the farmer and the press.
As of January 1 2005, food chain traceability, the assessment of the entire production chain, will become part of European Union legislation. It works both on a company level, concerning all the food ingredients, as well on a food chain level, identifying all the operators involved. Farchioni will implement a declaration which places the threshold of quality far beyond the European Union's (EU) regulations.
A second signature
According to Pompeo Farchioni, the company's chief executive, "Extra virgin olive oil is a natural product, produced in large volume. The challenge is to achieve qualitative stability. The Farchioni brand should guarantee quality, and DNV constitutes the second signature."
Farchioni sees DNV as a necessary resource for the market and customers.
"DNV has developed a range of services in the food and beverage industry, offering a comprehensive response to these quality and safety requirements in order to increase safety in the production process and retain consumer's trust," says Stefano Crea, DNV's global food product manager.
Tradition and continuity
Pompeo Farchioni is committed to maintaining the traditions established by his family over four generations. Even his father, Lanfranco, the previous chief executive, still makes frequent visits to the factory floor. Pompeo notes with satisfaction that the next generation, two sons and a daughter, are currently being trained to assume control of the family business when he retires.
In February next year, Farchioni will relocate to new premises. The 22 million euro investment will make Farchioni the largest extra virgin olive oil factory in Europe.
"I'm concerned that the amount of customers, not the volume of sales, is getting lower. The concentration in the wholesaler's business gives them the power to affect product quality as well as prices," Pompeo says.
"Today, consumers are more demanding and increasingly aware of food quality and food safety issues. Certification is the answer to this growing demand, as well as a helpful tool we can use to distinguish our products," says Gaetano Trizio, DNV's global food project owner and regional manager for South Europe certification.