Suspension of the commercialization of certain foreign productions

The recent decision of our Board of Directors to suspend the commercialization of certain foreign products, although organic and for which there is increasing demand, such as ginger, turmeric, Goji berries, chia seeds and quinoa, etc.

We think that organic agriculture must necessarily be socially, economically and ecologically sustainable. These principles have guided us for 30 years, being cooperative between organic agricultural producers, for the sustainable development of the territory and of our community.

In this process, we have extensively used a healthy marketing of productions even by non-member third parties, so that the offer was interesting in variety and continuity, and at the same time had the opportunity to propose and grow our local productions.

And it is well known that in Veneto the demand for organic food grows much faster than the agricultural supply, which has the times of nature.

But we have never ceased to make “our” proposal to the market, looking in the Company for the most suitable interlocutors, those who can share choices and orientations on a cultural level.

This clearly distances us from the normal mercantile logic of globalized, even if biological, demand and supply, into which more and more “conventional” subjects are entering.

A few years ago we eliminated counter-season productions (essentially pears and apples from South America, kiwis and oranges from the southern hemisphere) from the offer. For “exotic” productions, but a normal component of our diet, in the main case the banana, we decided that they must also come from the fair trade market (although aware of all the logistical and technical difficulties for smaller productions, such as pineapple, peanuts and many others).

Meanwhile, products such as ginger and those mentioned above, no longer have the marginality of the past, on the contrary, they are increasingly in demand.

But our distribution work, in terms of volumes and structure, forces us to rely on some professional importer, also fully delegating knowledge of the social, economic and ecological supply chain concerned.

In other words, at the moment we are unable to guarantee any of this, other than the only organic certification, which is necessary, but limited.

We are taking action, through knowledge and related bodies, to identify biological production projects and experiences in the world, where we can know who produces, how and why they do it, how much value they receive for their work and the distribution chain of the product up to us.

This is to be able to transmit this knowledge to you, in order to always be consistent in the proposal to the final consumer.

For now, an elementary precautionary principle advises us to stop.

Sure that you will understand the meaning and value of our choice, we cordially greet you.

Padua, December 12, 2014.

For the El Tamiso Cooperative

President Franco Zecchinato