Italy: Columbus ends its tomato processing activity

The rumor had been circulating for several days and was finally officially confirmed at a meeting between the Joint Trade Union Representation, the unions Flai, Fai and Uila, and the management of the company: the owners of the Columbus Srl company have announced their intention to stop operations at the Martorano factory in early 2020.
"If the processing season is not carried out," explains a press release from the unions dated 12 December, "this closure will add to the long list of historic processing companies that have disappeared in the Parma region, causing substantial job losses.”

The owners (Mantua Surgelati Food Group, which belongs to the Romano Freddi family-owned group) announced, without further details according to the unions, “the start of negotiations for the sale of the activity to any operator in the sector who might be interested in the takeover of the company, as the only prospect of continuity for production and for all the activities that could be maintained only with the setting up of a new corporate entity.”

“Despite management difficulties in recent years, the Martorano factory produced tomato sauces in glass jars and Tetra Recart packaging for several decades, as well as pulps and passata in classic and organic processing, products under own brand labels and under mass retail brands intended for the Italian market as well as for foreign countries.”
In 2018, the Mantua group declared that it operated ten factories, spread over four companies (Columbus, tomato products; Mantua Surgelati, frozen pizzas, ready meals and ice creams; Bustaffa, production of fresh cheeses, and Effegi, frozen fish products) and announced turnover of more than EUR 400 million, with over 1 000 employees.

Source: gazzettadiparma.it, parma.repubblica.it, parmatoday.it