Surgital® SpA has been producing the best frozen fresh pasta for food service, large-scale distribution, private labels and retail for over 40 years. International Marketing Specialist Arianna Testi highlighted the quality and variety of pastas within the portfolio in conversation with Phil Nicholls.
From the early days of this familyowned company, Surgital has been at the forefront of selling fresh, hand-made pasta that was subsequently frozen. Despite initial hostility from the market, the early pioneers at Surgital held to their vision that was eventually embraced by the Horeca sector.
“Frozen pasta is becoming something that people in the food service sector see as an advantage,” explained International Marketing Specialist Arianna Testi. “Of course, it helps to keep costs under control and avoid waste. So as we address
sustainable living, it's important to bring mindfulness to the kitchen and pay attention to the impact of food waste.”
From Emilia-Romagna with love
Surgital was born from the dreams and entrepreneurial drive of Romana Tamburini and her husband Edoardo Bacchini. From a small workshop in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy in 1980, the company steadily grew into an ambassador of Italian gastronomic culture. Today, Surgital exports to over 60 countries.
The 35,000m2 production facility in Lavezzola employs around 400 people. This factory has 34 production lines, following an expansion during 2020/2021 which added five more lines. The site also has a 6,000m2 warehouse with a 70,000m3 storage
capacity at -20°C and 14,000 pallet spaces. Surgital also has two other commercial branches: one in France, in Lyon – Surgital France - and one in the USA – Surgital America. This modern site achieves an impressive daily production of 175 tonnes of fresh pasta, 30 tonnes of ready sauces and 90,000 ready meals.
Driven by these production figures, the Surgital group achieved a revenue of €105 million in 2022, an increase of approximately 33% compared to the previous year and exceeding the set budget by 20%.
A world of fresh pasta
Surgital produces the best frozen fresh pasta for food service, large-scale distribution, private labels and retail. With the ‘Made of Italy’ logo, Surgital brings fresh pasta in all its forms to kitchens all over the world. From long pastas like linguine and tagliatelle, to a variety of stuffed pastas including ravioli
and tortellini; the company makes them all. These traditionally made pastas are supplemented by a selection of sauces and ready meals.
The whole Surgital range is made with passion, resulting in an innovative portfolio of products. This spirit of innovation blends together traditional pasta with modern sensibilities.
“While continuing to invest in research and development to lower the impact of our pro duction,” said Ms Testi, “we developed new products that embrace this trend and customers' preferences. Our new pasta format, inside the traditional range of Laboratorio Tortellini ® , is entirely made from vegetables and legumes. Low in fat and rich in fibre, our new vegetable, pea and lentil linguine is as delicious as pasta, as light as vegetables. This is the perfect alternative for a plant-based contemporary and delicious meal.”
An underlying passion for pasta within Surgital is a core aspect of the company It was this same passion that meant the founders persevered with the concept of frozen fresh pasta. “We choose freezing as the preservation method because it gives us the possibility to keep our labels clean from all preservatives and additives,” continued Ms Testi. “The cold helps us to keep the product as natural as it can be, with pieces of genuine raw materials always visible inside the fillings.
“The freezing also benefits chefs, as every single piece of perfectly frozen pasta remains separate. This makes it very easy to manage the cost per portion and avoid waste.”
Surgital’s on-site De Gusto ® pasta academy allows customers and suppliers to experience personally how the company develops new products. “De Gusto ® is a real centre of convergence,” Ms Testi said. “It is an open-door academy where we invite customers, suppliers and collaborators to be actively involved in an exchange of experiences and skills.”
Sustainable standards
This spirit of collaboration also applies to Surgital’s suppliers, according to Ms Testi: “We have a major focus on raw materials, as we try always to make them the star of every bite. Our fillings are rich, and every single component is always visible, setting our products on a higher level compared to competitors.
“To maintain our high standards, we must know exactly where every single ingredient comes from and where it has grown. We taste ingredients right there on the farm, because we like to reach out and touch the hands that have nurtured the food. Thus, we build long-term and collaborative partnerships with our suppliers.”
Surgital applies a similar level of care to its environmental responsibilities, operating sustainably thanks to three
innovative plants for the production of clean energy: a 1,000kw/h photovoltaic system, a methane-fuelled quadri-generation plant with 6,000kw/h of electrical power, and a 600kw/h power plant with three oil-free turbines.
“We use internal purifiers and reduce our water consumption thanks to a reverse osmosis system that reuses wastewater to cool the plant,” explained Ms Testi. “In recent years, Surgital launched a packaging optimisation project to minimise the use of plastic material and, wherever possible, we use mono-material to encourage recycling.”
Alongside the ongoing challenge of sustainable operation, Surgital is overcoming the usual global issues of supply chain disruption and rising energy prices. However; Ms Testi remains optimistic: “Against all the odds, 2022 was a very positive year for Surgital. We saw our numbers return to those of 2019, probably due to people's desire to return to normality and socialise away from home, all without renouncing nutritional wellbeing. Italian cuisine has always stood out for the genuineness of its products.”
Surgital plan to build on this platform with further expansion plans, focusing on expanding operations in France and the United States. The company will also be promoting the new truffle sauce from the I Prestigiosi line by Sugosi ® , launched during the latest edition of SIAL in Paris.
The 2023-2025 plan envisages constant increases in revenues for the period, with an estimated turnover at the end of around €140 million; a healthy 40% growth compared to the budget of the previous industrial plan. Under the new plan, investments in production plants and structures amount to approximately €20 million. These investments will further expand the production at the Lavezzola plant through the introduction of two new production lines for the ready meals and ready-made sauces,
as well as other improvements in the packaging processes on the existing lines.
“Surgital is a company like few others,” concluded Ms Testi. “It is a historic family business, with a great attachment to the land, traditions and people. In the offices, there is always this constant feeling of growth and expansion, which I personally find very motivating. I am very happy to be part of the Surgital team in a moment of great development, such as the one that the company will experience over the next three years.”
