Editorial
Happy New Year!
We say goodbye to 2015 pleased with the results achieved. We have managed to consolidate our sales of sunflower oil as well as our improvement plan implemented 5 years ago. For our shareholders we have managed to achieve sales growth with a reduction in operating costs. Without a doubt a success for all involved. Another achievement we should all feel very proud of is the implementation of a program to detect and retain talent. Let’s not forget our contribution in the industry, involving ourselves in Turkey, ltaly, Spain and Mexico as well as in Europe and Internationally. Between all of us we have been able to position Fitó as an attractive place to work, a place to seek advice, buy a range of varieties, and not to mention, to have as a client. We are the admiration of the sector.
Thank you and congratulations!
CORPORATIVE TAKING PART IN THE MOST IMPORTANT SEED COMPANY EVENTS ESA From 11 to 13 October, the European Seed Association, of which we are a member, held its annual meeting between all seed industry members in Vienna, Austria. In total over 900 companies from the industry took part, with an increased presence of companies coming from countries outside of the European Union. During the conference the association went through the internal strategy results. In addition to promoting cooperation in research, as well as facilitating the international movement of seeds, the meeting placed strong emphasis on collaboration and cooperation within the industry.
APSA We also took part in the APSA (Asia Pacific Seed Association) meeting which took place in Goa, South India, from 16 to 20 November. Our colleagues from India took the opportunity to present the first portfolio of commercial products for the region. The portfolio made a very good impression on the attendees and they were confident that it could be a good tool for promoting our products in South East Asia.
Dr. Jaswant Singh, the director of Semillas Fitó India, at the meeting of APSA in GOA
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FITÓ AWARD FOR THE BEST FINAL PROJECT IN AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING AT THE UPC This year is the second time we have sponsored the Fitó award, in which we contributed €1,000 to the best final project to a student studying agricultural engineering at the UPC. On this occasion Adriana was the lucky winner of the award. Adriana Martins is from São Paulo (Brazil) and has lived in Barcelona since 2004. She is 32 years old and finished her studies in agricultural engineering at the UPC. In her final project she decided to work on: Genetic improvement of “Brotonera” cauliflower. We had a short chat with her. What first made you interested in this topic? Truthfully before the first class on genetic improvement at the UPC, I knew nothing about this topic. But ever since becoming aware of it I knew I wanted to specialise in this field and I focused my studies on subjects in the plant world. What are your plans going forward? I’m currently continuing my studies at the Universitat de Lleida. In the short-term I’d like to do a master’s in bio information and after do a doctorate in something related to plant improvement. My objective is to be an improver, I’m sure about that! And if possible, I would like to work in the R&D department of a leading company in the industry. What do you think you will use the award money for? As I want to continue studying, this prize, without a doubt, will be used for the training required to reach my goal. A financial reward is of great value, but just the fact I was selected is encouragement enough to keep continuing on this path.
The award was given at the graduation act in Castelldefels
TRAINING COURSES During this quarter Fitó’s different centres have placed more focus on training, offering various types of courses. Among the subjects offered, training has been given in: • TEAM WORK AND COMMUNICATION, at the centres in Cases de Barbens and Cabrera. • INNOVATION AND PROACTIVITY, in Barcelona. Course participants in “Time management and professionalism” in Almería
• TIME MANAGEMENT AND PROFESSIONALISM, in Almería.
WE TOOK PART AT THE AGRI-FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE IN LLEIDA
Last October we took part as guest speakers at a conference on “biotechnology assisting the agri-food industry”, organized by the Departament d’Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca i Alimentació de la Generalitat de Catalunya, together with the Universitat de Lleida. Our colleague Torben Jahrmann, was one of the members of the round tables regarding plant biotechnology. The objective of this day was to get to know the benefits that biotechnology brings to the agri-food industry and its capability of bringing solutions and responding to future challenges with a view of biotechnology becoming a competitive driver in the agri-food industry.
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INTERNAL CONVENTIONS This last quarter of the year the different business units have held internal conventions. These sessions brought together teams that work far away from each other and provided the opportunity to review the year, analyse what has gone well and not so well and to prepare the following year. In addition to the usual talks, tours and/or team building activities between departments were also organised to encourage and strengthen team work. Some photos of our colleagues in action... Some workers for Turf Grass Unit visiting Barbens center
Our colleagues in Sales Vegetables Iberia, visiting a cooperative of rice
Field Crops Convention was held at the Hotel Barcelona Princess
VEGETABLES ONCE AGAIN WE TAKE PART IN FRUIT ATTRACTION
Throughout the three days we had many visits
Last October the Fruit Attraction fair was held in which Semillas Fitó did not miss the opportunity to present its numerous latest developments in fresh vegetables with the aid of its own modern and attractive stand. These latest developments include varieties such as AMALIA (Semi-large Black Eggplant), ATENEO (Tomato Vine), VIMEIRO (Tomato Beef) and DRAGO (Dutch Cucumber). All of these mark a very promising future for the company.
The Delicious corner was one of the points that caught the audience
Neither did we miss out on the opportunity to show the latest developments in Specialties, located at our already famous “Delicious Corner”. The red-yellow duo of Sweet Italian peppers stood out for their sweetness, colour and shape.
In addition, we presented our “Walk of fame”, in which we displayed our four most successful varieties in the Iberian market which are currently leaders in their respective fields: ESTRADA (Dutch Cucumber), the one with the highest quality throughout the cycle; DURATOM (Long Life Tomato), the one with the best post-harvest; CRISTAL (Semi-large Black Eggplant), uniform and very dark in colour; and SOBERANO (Red Lamuyo Pepper), which presented as much quality post-harvest as fruit. Finally, the stand had a small section dedicated to the Agri-industry, showing its wide ranging portfolio in frozen vegetables and sweet corn.
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VISIT OF NATIONAL RENOWNED BLOGGERS AND JOURNALISTS In September we organised a trip for press specialising in the horticultural sector in Spain to see our R&D centres, seed production, logistics at the Barcelona premises and those nearby. Journalists from the main media channels in Almeria (La Voz de Almería, Ideal de Almería, Onda Cero, Cadena Ser, F&H and Fhalmería) attended this tour along with very active journalists in the online world regarding matters related to the horticultural sector such as Bloggers José Antonio Arcos and Marga López (Mercados magazine) and journalist Pere Papasseit from the THM group.
Victor Sancho was the guide in Llavaneres
Over two days the group visited the centres in Barcelona, Llavaneres and Cabrera de Mar, taking the opportunity to ask questions, converse and exchange their ideas regarding the current and future situation of the horticultural sector. What most stood out about the tour, according to the comments received from the journalists themselves, was the full freedom they had to visit all the centres, take photographs and ask everything they wished to know. “There was complete transparency, as should be the case when a journalist is invited to a company but which, unfortunately, doesn’t happen very often”, commented one of the journalists.
The bloggers in action listening Germán Anastasio
FIELD DAYS IN TORO (ZAMORA) On 30 September and 1 October field days were held in Toro (Zamora) in which our company, together with the American company IFSI (with which Fitó collaborated in improving super sweet corn) and our client Huercasa, invited its most important clients in Spain to come and see the improvement tests that every year we continue carrying out to continue developing our best varieties, leaders in the Spanish market.
Sweet corn is one of our star products in Processing Crops
During these days, different clients (Bonduelle, SPS, El Campo, Plyasa, Amarillo Corn and, of course, Huercasa itself) were able to visit this tests, with up to 200 commercial and pre-commercial varieties and those being developed, and they also had the opportunity to share their knowledge, questions and opinions regarding our super sweet corn varieties and the market in general.
Tomato Monterosa WELCOME TO MONTEROSA’S WEBSITE As most of you are already aware, our horticultural specialties include the implementation of the Monterosa project. We have created a website designed for end consumers which contains all the information about Monterosa, general information regarding the tomato and also a recipe book. Check out the website www.tomatomonterosa.com and find out more about this special tomato.
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XIX SANTA SUSANNA HORTICULTURAL DAY On 1 December Semillas Fitó again took part as guest speaker at the “XIX Santa Susanna horticultural day” technical conference, a benchmark in the horticultural sector in Catalonia. We took this opportunity to promote the varieties we believe have the most potential in the region: EGARA (Green Neck Beef Tomato), CRISTAL (Semi-large black eggplant), BRILLANTE (Medium-resistance green zucchini) and NORMANDO (Slicer type cucumber).
This day all companies show their latest products to the visitors
FIELD CROPS AGRI-WEEK IN PÓVOA DE VARZIM (PORTUGAL) Agri-week is an event known as the “Feria Agrícola do Norte” (North Agricultural Fair) in Portugal which received a great gathering thanks to its numerous activities which were carried out from 3 to 6 September in Póvoa de Varzim (Oporto). Semillas Fitó took part in the event with a stand which focused on corn varieties ALMAGRO, BERMEO and CARELLA; the Fitomix formulas ENERGY CUT and TURBO FLEX and products from the EUROGARDEN range.
VISITS FROM CLIENTS IN PORTUGAL AND ANDALUSIA
Visiting the Biotechnology center in Cabrera de Mar and the Production center in Llavaneres caused so much excitement.
On 10, 11 and 12 November clients from Portugal and Andalusia visited us. The group of 18 people, mainly made up of distributors and leading farmers in the area, had the opportunity to view the facilities at Barbens and speak to Marc Solsona, Head of R&D of Field Crops, regarding aspects related to the improvement plan for corn and forage seeds. The following day, the trip to the Cabrera de Mar Biotechnology Centre raised high expectations, together with the tour of the Llavaneres production centre.
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GRAN SEMANA ANGLOÁRABE (SEVILLA) Semillas Fitó attended the Gran Semana Anglo-árabe 2015, a benchmark event in the horse world. This event took place between 17-20 September at the facilities of the Real Club Pineda de Sevilla where breeders, vets, nutrition experts and the general public could enjoy numerous horse-related activities. The Gran Semana Anglo-árabe is an ideal backdrop to be able to promote the Fitomix forage formulas, as well as to collaborate with the local distributor in the area.
FIELD DAYS AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN TURKEY, BRINGING TOGETHER DISTRIBUTORS AND FARMERS During the months of September and October Semillas Fitó Turkey, hosted various field days in different areas such as the regions of Mármara, Aegeon and Mar Negro. During these days we presented our corn varieties, their production, planting dates, management of manure, value-added crops and water quality. In particular we have promoted our new crop fields CALGARY, Motril, Sagunto, Carella, etc. Over 100 farmers joined our events and are interested in our crop fields. After having taken part in a technical tour, they visited the corn fields of the farm where they could see the huge potential of the Calgary, Motril, Sagunto and Carella varieties.
HOBBY HOBBY TRIUMPHS IN IBERFLORA Fabiola is a new variety ideal for the agri-industry due to the high percentage of “baby” beans it produces. We are talking about a very homogenous and productive bean, with straight, cylindrical and compact pods that give 5-6 beans of equal size, with a high number of calibre “baby”. The seed is white and maintains its white string when the bean is dry.
We win the prize for Innovation at Iberflora 2015 with our variety of Fabiola bean.
Fabiola is one of the latest developments from the new portfolio of beans from Semilla Fitó, which is also joined by the Sofia variety, an improved version of Reina Mora which produces long pods measuring 23-25 cm with 6-7 beans. It is a very productive variety and it is the most precocious for spring crops, gaining 15 days on varieties such as Reina Mora. The seed is bright violet and medium size when dry.
Part of Hobby team in Iberflora
All these varieties are aimed at the professional market, but their ease of use enables them to be grown by semi-professional farmers and also on home gardens, being sold in different formats depending on the variety. The three new varieties are registered as the intellectual property of Semillas Fitó, therefore the containers include a Protected Variety symbol.
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NEW RANGE OF SOWING TAPES AND DISCS WHICH FACILITATE THE PLANTING OF VEGETABLES AND AROMATIC PLANTS An intelligent, quick and easy solution! The sowing tapes: the seeds are perfectly positioned at the appropriate distance on the strips of biodegradable paper. The user simply has to spread the paper on the ground or in the pot, cover it in soil and water it. This way, success is guaranteed upon harvest and the tiresome work of thinning plants that are too close to each other is avoided, ideal in crops such as carrots or radishes. For the aromatic plants segment the same technology is incorporated but with round discs of paper on which the seeds are placed. In addition, both formats are suitable for organic farming.
SEMBRA RECEIVES FIRST PRIZE FOR THE MOST INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY AT LA FESTA DELS SÚPERS 2015 La Festa dels Súpers, which is held once a year in Barcelona, is considered to be the most important Children’s event in Europe. We were there with a stand of 10x10 metres where we offered two different activities: the planting of peas in biodegradable pots and the construction of a portable garden with recycled materials. In total there were 1,875 boys and girls on Saturday and 1,650 boys and girls on Sunday. The majority of the participants took the small garden home to continue looking after it with their family. An expert jury decided that the activities provided were the most innovative at La Festa dels Súpers. Congratulations to all the team who made it happen!
TURF GRASSES WE TOOK PART FOR ANOTHER YEAR AT THE 37TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE SPANISH GREENKEEPER ASSOCIATION It was the 37th edition of this benchmark event in the golf industry which was held from 17 to 19 November in Seville. The conference was the perfect occasion to learn from the talks given by prestigious professionals and also a good opportunity to share experiences with professionals, clients, friends and colleagues. Among other things, we took the opportunity to present the Logistics Centre of LES CASES DE BARBENS which, spanning 27,000 sq m, is the largest in Europe in its group for management. We presented the latest developments in grass seeds included in the New Portfolio 2016-2017 with new varieties such as:
LUMINARY Agrostis stolonifera BIZEM
Festuca arundinacea
TERRANO
Festuca arundinacea
ROSEMARY Lolium perenne ZURICH
Lolium perenne
THUNDER
Lolium multiflorum
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No. 1 NTEP, adapted to very limited consumption of plant protection products due to its horizontal resistance to diseases. No. 1 NTEP, especially designed for sports fields due to its tolerance to trampling and low cuts. No. 1 NTEP with lateral growth. Ideal for overseeding due to its extraordinary quality and easy transition. Variety with lateral growth and extraordinary resistance to trampling. Clear colour to mask the Poa annua. Ideal for overseeding due its rapid establishment and natural transition without agri-chemicals.
NEW MIXER AT LES CASES DE BARBENS Since October we have had a new grass seed mixer at the new logistics centre of las Cases de Barbens. This relates to a NAUTA type cone mixer that ensures a perfect mix without eroding the seeds. The new mixer contains the latest technology to ensure uniformity of the formula and the cleanliness of the seed remains which may otherwise get stuck in the vents, thanks to a complex auto-cleaning system which without generating dust provides excellent results.
CUSTOMERS CORNER KONUS GLORIJA We chat with Konus Glorija, our client in Belgrade (Serbia) which sells various varieties of Fitó, from horticultural produce to field crops. When did you start working with Semillas Fitó? Three years ago.
How is your relationship with Semillas Fitó? It grows from strength to strength year after year.
What is the difference between Semillas Fitó and other companies? The team, excellent professionals.
What is the seed business like in your area? Small family businesses which compete with multinational companies, striving to improve every day.
Which products are sold most? What is the best product for you? Centauro cucumber. What is the most appreciated value for a seed company? Excellent seed quality.
EGGPLANT
AMALIA
Excellent fruit quality The best post-harvest
CORN
HATAY
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GROWING VALUES Posters in Llavaneres, India and Turkey
Promoting our values PROFESSIONALISM
INNOVATION
DISCRETION
LONG-TERM VISION
Over the last few months since June we have been rolling out our camItalian, English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. By this letter the paign to promote our Fitó values. All Fitó centres have been implemenmanagement team showed us that our values implicitly imply a way of ting our mission statement and values with the use of posters. The same acting and behaving, which make each of us a great professional, with an posters can be seen at all centres, which explain who we are. In addition, immense capacity to innovate and create, with a long term vision and to they have been adapted to the different languages of be ready to face the great challenges that lie ahead in our Between all of us industry…all reflected in a video. the regions so they can be understood in all countries in which we are present. (now over 500) we From here we were invited to share, thanks to the support have made our But the project goes beyond just posters and information; of INSTAGRAM, our photos of our values. Following wide we decided to bring it all together as part of the GROWING participation, the jury chose three photos for each value. values grow!!! VALUES campaign, which has been a real success. You can see them up close each month, as part of our first desk calendar, It all began with a letter to all Fitó employees translated into Turkish, GROWING VALUES 2016.
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FITÓ FIGURE AHMET SIRRI SENSOY (FITÓ TURKEY)
When did you take up this activity? I began this activity as a spectator in 2001 during my military service. (I was stationed at a helicopter base. Some commanders of the helicopter pilots were organizing simulation flight training on large aircrafts for pilots). We chat to our colleague AHMET SIRRI SENSOY, breeder of cucumber and zucchini from Turkey. Why? So he can tell us a little bit more about his hobby: virtual flying. What is it? A virtual airline (VA) is an organization dedicated to flight simulation to reflect the operations of an airline company. Virtual airlines are usually on the Internet, similar to a real airline. There are thousands active, with tens of thousands of participants at any given time.
How long have you had this hobby? Over 10 years. I can’t dedicate too much time to it, but an hour and a half flight a week is fine for me. How far has your hobby taken you? I like to travel and go to far away places. During the flight simulation you can travel between different cities, all very different from each other. You can see the mountains, rivers, bridges and what is under construction, just like in real life.
Before and during the flight, calculations and decisions have to be made, the majority of the time they are pre-planned, however sometimes changes have to be made to the plan, just like in real life. What do you need for virtual flying? A computer and a specially-designed “joystick” for simulated flights. What is your next step with this activity? I would like to fly with a professional flight simulator and I would like to start a course as a professional pilot.
Thanks AHMET for teaching us a bit more about virtual flying!
HUMAN RESOURCES NEW HIRES
Welcome to the Semillas Fitó team... • NAME: Rubén Miño Esteban • POSITION: Sales Agent, Castilla y León • WORKPLACE: Castilla-León • HOBBIES: Cinema, various sports, cycling, running…
• NAME: Kerem Cebe • POSITION: Sales Agent for Vegetables for the MARMARA region • WORKPLACE: Turkey • HOBBIES: Travelling among nature, drawing, fishing, debates, watching films
• NAME: Beatriz González Rodríguez • POSITION: Field Crops Customer service • WORKPLACE: Barcelona • HOBBIES: Travelling, reading, being with my cats, cooking, singing
• NAME: Claudia Ofelia Sonda-Tirca • POSITION: Sales of Field Crops in Romania, Moldavia, Bulgaria and Serbia • WORKPLACE: Romania • HOBBIES: Theatre, music, cinema, travelling and cats
• NAME: Mahir Kara • POSITION: Head of Sales in the Marmara region • WORKPLACE: Marmara-Turkey • HOBBIES: Football, travelling, photography
• NAME: Sara Ortega Gómez • POSITION: Customer Service - Hobby Division • WORKPLACE: Barcelona • HOBBIES: Travelling, Zumba, spinning, listening to music and reading
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RECIPE OF THE MONTH Mónica Navarro, our colleague in Almería, is an English teacher, but at Fitó she specializes in crop tasks, helping technicians to measure sugar in tomatoes and other species, in addition to being the co-head for Occupational Risks in Almería. She really enjoys cooking and has shared this recipe with us, ideal for the festive holidays. ENJOY!
TENDERLOIN WRAPPED IN PASTRY Ingredients for 4 people 250g of mushrooms 4 cloves of garlic olive oil 200ml of cooking cream a pinch of salt a small onion sheets of pastry (2x250g) a piece of tenderloin (600g) goat cheese roller (to cover the length of the tenderloin)
Directions 1. Place some oil in a pan (5 teaspoons.) and brown the garlic. Meanwhile slice the onion and mushrooms and add them to the pan. When done, take out the garlic and stir in the cream. 2. Season the tenderloin and roast it in the pan (if the tenderloin is very thick you can cut it in half so it cooks better). The tenderloin can be done twice as the sheets of pastry are small. It can be done while you do the above sauce. 3. Open the sheets of pastry and place the mushroom sauce on top of the tenderloin followed by the goat cheese roller. If the goat cheese roller is very thick you may have to cut it in half, therefore it’s best to buy it into small cubes. 4. Close the pastry and bake it for 10-15 min. at 220˚C, from top to bottom.
This year ends with a Baby boom!
Stephanie Mascarós, Assistant Breeder in Cabrera, gave birth to twins…Lía and Teo who were born on 8 July.
Vicente Lope, Expeditions Agent in Bellpuig, became a father to Marc, born on 19 September.
Ibrahima Traore , Mareseme Colleague, became a father to two twin girls: Sirian and Masa.
Bubacar Diallo, from Cases de Barbens became a father to Eladi Mamadou.
Jordi Quilis, Head of Biotech Cabrera, father to Dídac.
Marta Fernández, Breeder in Cabrera, gave birth to Martina on 16 November.
Anabel Salvador, Assistant Breeder in Barbens, mother to Jana.
Diedy Dembele. Farmhand in Cabrera became a father to baby girl Umuo.
Mohamed Kasmi. Farmhand in Cabrera, fathered another baby girl, Janat.
Miguel Ángel García, agricultural farmhand in Cabrera, shares a photo with us of his two sons, Adrian and Álvaro.
To all the little ones, welcome to the world! And to all the parents, our sincere congratulations! 12
Do you have any picture or recipe you would like to share with us? Send them to:
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comunicacion@semillasfito.com