Thirty years of activity in the wholesale distribution of food products, a market share in Italy, in its category, greater than 50%, exports all over the world for 40% of total production, and a proceeds of sales which increased more than ten times in just 15 years, with a steady annual growth in double digits. These are the numbers of ‘Gruppo Pedon’, whose headquarter is in Molvena, in the province of Vicenza. This is one of the reference companies, at both Italian and European level, for the processing, packaging, and distribution of cereals and dried pulses. It was founded in 1984 by the three brothers Franco, Sergio, and Remo Pedon and it is structured in two divisions, a retail one - Pedon - and the one dedicated to the production and sale of agricultural commodities to food and canning processing industry - Acos. The company is today widely present in all modern distribution channels, both with products sold under its own brand and as a private label for large-scale retail trade, with more than 100 private brand lines and more than 3,000 references.
The Timesavers 90 seconds
Towards the East... in an environmentally friend way
At present, the company exports concern about 20% of retail sales; thanks to Large-Scale Retail Trade/Retail Purchasing Consortia, normal trade, specialized, pharmaceutical, and parapharmaceutical distribution channels, Pedon, across the border, continues to grow in the EU, Russia, USA, and Canada and for the future it aims at the Arab markets and the ones of Far East. Packaging is a particularly important aspect for Pedon, characterized by an environmentally friendly policy in line with the needs of large-scale retail trade and consumers’ preferences. The company confirms: «The packaging must be able to be not only a marketing tool, but also a distinctive element and strength of the product; we pay careful attention to costs, but combine the requirements of quality and safety with ease of use, and when we study an innovative product we do not skimp on pack, because it would lose its appeal and its content would be demeaned. We can offer to our customers different types of primary and secondary packaging in terms of materials, sizes, and, in compliance with our environmentally friendly policy, for some product lines we use FSC-certified paper and entirely recyclable packaging: environmental impact, associated with other ethical aspects, is an important driver of choice and purchase of the product on the shelf».
The Organic Line
A 'Pocket Multinational'
Remo Pedon, CEO of the Group, confirms the growth that the company has achieved through the last generation, both in terms of proceeds of sales and as presence on the Italian and foreign markets. He explains: «This is our greatest satisfaction: from 8 million Euro in 1999 we arrived to 90 millions today, and we have achieved a leadership position in the field of cereals and legumes. This position is acknowledged every day by the major retailers as well as our consumers. We are a ‘pocket multinational’: production flexibility, high quality, attention for our markets, and direct control of our production chain are the ingredients of our success. We are currently in a stage characterized by sustained growth and a few months ago we adopted a lean production and organizational system, the ‘Lean Production System’, in order to improve performance, eliminate waste, and be even more competitive on the market. Our goal consists in becoming specialists in the field of cereals and pulses, studying new recipes, expanding our target, and making our products accessible to a wider and wider audience. We still have a long way to go, and for this reason we will soon operate on the Arab market; in the medium term we will start up a project which concerns Far East; in Italy, we will try to ‘guard’ the Ho.Re.Ca channel, where we see great potential for the lines of fast cooking cereals and pulses».
