The bishop of Bologna as a backup
Planta in Brixen (South Tyrol) is a far from average business. The nursery, which supplies plant material to potted and bedding plant growers, mostly in Italy, is owned by the Roman Catholic Church. This provides a solid financial base, but it also means that the Archdiocese of Bologna has a strong influence on the company’s strategy.
Anyone visiting the town of Brixen, will spot the nursery straight away. Because Planta’s 3-ha greenhouses are situated right in the centre of Brixen, a town in the heart of South Tyrol, an autonomous province in northern Italy. “We’re one of the few floricultural companies here; this region is better known for its fruit farming”, says managing director Aldo Staboli.
Another reason why the company stands out is that it’s located immediately adjacent to two seminaries. This isn’t a coincidence – Planta’s profits go towards the maintenance of these training colleges for priests. “Our company was founded in 1976 by the local church”, explains Staboli. “That isn’t unusual around here; many companies are owned by the Roman Catholic Church. Although the number has been decreasing the last couple of years.”
Various breeders
Initially, Planta focused on the cultivation of vegetable plants. In the eighties, they expanded with the supply of young potted and bedding plants. “This has now become our core business; we produce around 70 million young potted and bedding plants per year. We have a wide range, but the emphasis is on varieties like begonia, petunia, tagetes and vinca”, says Staboli.
“We grow them from seed and cuttings and we select varieties that suit the Italian market. We purchase from a number of different breeders; our assortment includes varieties from PanAmerican Seed, Syngenta, Hem Genetics, Sakata and others.
Personal approach
Ninety percent of Planta’s potted and bedding plants are sold to Italian growers. In addition, the company supplies small quantities to a few growers in Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. “There are around 5,000 potted and bedding plant growers in Italy, most of them are small nurseries”, says Staboli. “This number is currently going down, because older growers often don’t have anyone to take over the business. The nurseries that continue to exist are generally the larger and more professional ones.”
As Planta is a relatively small player in the market, offering good customer service and maintaining strong customer relations is important. “We have many regular customers; especially growers who appreciate the direct contact and the personal approach. This engagement is something we recognise in our employees as well; some of our twelve salespeople have been working for us for more than thirty years.”
Biomass system
The greenhouses are heated by a wood-burning biomass system, which Planta invested in three years ago. Although this initially helped to cut down on some costs, the price of wood, which is bought from local suppliers in the region, has reached the same level as that of natural gas by now. “But a sustainable energy supply is important for the image of the company, too”, emphasises Staboli.
Even though the influence of the church is barely noticeable in the day-to-day business, the diocese is involved in important strategic decisions and investments such as the biomass system. “We have a contact person within the diocese with whom we discuss these things. And if necessary, the church supports us financially as well. The diocese provides a solid financial base.”
Grow Your Own
Staboli is happy about the profits that the company makes. “Our company is in good financial health; Planta is still making enough money to maintain the seminaries in Brixen.”
The managing director does keep an eye out for new market opportunities, though. “We have been supplying vegetable plants in summer for a few years now. These are for hobby gardeners; they’re sold by garden centres in the area. That’s going well, so we’re now also exploring the possibility to produce soft fruit plants. Plenty of opportunities in the “Grow Your Own” market!
