CAAT - Centro Agro Alimentare Torino

What CAAT - Centro Agro Alimentare Torino does

CAAT - Centro Agro Alimentare Torino (legally Società Consortile Centro Agro Alimentare Torino C.A.A.T. S.c.p.A.) operates a 440,000 square meter wholesale agri-food market complex in Grugliasco, in the Turin metropolitan area of Italy. Established in 1970, the center functions as a physical B2B distribution hub hosting 79 wholesale companies and approximately 150 local producers from the Turin, Cuneo, and Asti provinces, processing 550,000 tons of fresh produce annually and facilitating €550 million in commercial transactions. CAAT serves as a critical link between agricultural producers and downstream buyers including HO.RE.CA. establishments (hotels, restaurants, catering), organized retail chains (GDO), and food processors, with the center's geographic reach extending to Piedmont, Liguria, French Haute-Savoie, and Switzerland.

The company's core offering combines physical market infrastructure (Mercato Ortofrutticolo, Logistics Platforms, Storage and Processing Warehouses, Producer Areas, and the Business Centre) with a digital innovation layer branded "CAAT Innovation." This digital layer includes a Digital Marketplace for online transactions, a Digital price detection system publishing daily wholesale quotations (Mercuriale dei prezzi), automated entry management with LPR cameras, RFID, and QR code systems, digital signage, and digital storytelling content platforms. The facility also operates community-facing programs under "Social CAAT" (food waste recovery and donation partnerships with Caritas and Banco Alimentare, recovering 690+ tonnes in 2020 and 631 tonnes in 2021) and "Green CAAT" (environmental sustainability initiatives), plus educational programs (CAAT Educational at Cascina Oslera).

CAAT generates revenue through three primary streams: subscription-based space rental and facility management (commercial spaces for wholesalers, logistics platforms, and central business district offices), transaction-based access fees (vehicle access passes, badge services, entry management), and professional service fees from hosting events and promotional activities. The company is structured as a consortium (S.c.p.A.) with €34,350,763.89 in share capital, mixed public-private ownership, and is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the Shareholders' Assembly. Recent leadership transitioned in November 2023 from Marco Lazzarino (President 2017-2023) to Fabrizio Galliati, with the Board renewed for the 2026-2028 term following approval of the 2025 financial statements. CAAT reported a 10% net profit increase in 2022 versus 2021, and operates with approximately 32 employees.

Name

CAAT - Centro Agro Alimentare Torino

Legal name

Società Consortile Centro Agro Alimentare Torino C.A.A.T. S.c.p.A.

Website

https://caat.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CAAT operates a 440,000 sqm wholesale agri-food market complex in Grugliasco (Turin), hosting 79 wholesalers and 150 local producers processing 550,000 tons of fresh produce annually. It serves as a B2B distribution hub connecting Piedmont producers with retailers, HO.RE.CA., and food service buyers across Northwest Italy and cross-border regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Food Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Terminal Market / Produce Market Wholesalers (AFAIACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wholesale/B2B Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAF), Regulatory Compliance, Validation & Certification for CA/Dry Storage (HACCP, GMP, audits) (AFAOAEAO)

Keywords

• Wholesale food distribution
• Agri-food market
• Fresh produce logistics
• Wholesale market services
• Food distribution center

Headquarters

HQ city

Grugliasco

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Space rental and facility management: CAAT generates revenue through renting commercial spaces to wholesale operators and logistics platforms, as well as managing the central business district offices
2. Access fees and service charges: Revenue from vehicle access passes, badge services, and entry management services for operators and buyers
3. Event and promotional services: Revenue from hosting events, promotional activities, and community initiatives within market facilities

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CAAT is a wholesale agri-food distribution center operating a 440,000 sqm physical market facility in Grugliasco (Turin) that hosts 79 wholesale companies and approximately 150 local producers. Its core business consists of providing physical market infrastructure (fruit and vegetable market halls, logistics platforms, storage and processing warehouses, producer areas, and business centre offices), vehicle and pedestrian access management services, and digital trade infrastructure including an online Digital Marketplace and the daily Wholesale Price Index (Mercuriale dei prezzi). The center facilitates B2B transactions between producers, wholesalers, and professional buyers (retailers, HO.RE.CA., GDO chains).

Product overview

CAAT - Centro Agro Alimentare Torino is a wholesale agri-food market center operating as a single unified facility that combines physical market infrastructure with digital innovation services. The core offering consists of a 440,000 sqm market area with 120,000 sqm of covered space hosting 79 wholesale companies and approximately 150 local producers. The physical infrastructure includes the Fruit and Vegetable Market, Logistics Platforms, Storage Warehouses, and Producer Areas. Complementing these are digital services under the CAAT Innovation program: Digital price detection, Digital Storytelling, Digital signage, Digital Marketplace, and Digital entry management (featuring LPR cameras, RFID, and QR code systems). The company also operates community-focused services including food waste reduction, food education programs, and CAAT Educational initiatives. The Digital Marketplace represents the company's e-commerce platform, while the Mercuriale dei prezzi provides daily wholesale pricing data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CAAT Innovation: Digital transformation initiatives including digital price detection, digital storytelling, digital signage, digital marketplace, and digital entry management.
• Green CAAT
• Social CAAT
• CAAT Educational

Products and services

• Fruit and Vegetable Market (Mercato ortofrutticolo) Main wholesale market hall for fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) within the CAAT facility, serving as the primary B2B trading hub where wholesalers and producers transact daily with retail and food-service buyers.
• Logistics Platforms (Piattaforme logistiche)

Quantifiable outcome

• 550,000 tons of goods processed annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Distretto del Cibo del Chierese-CarmagnoleseminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2023Collaboration to promote local food excellence and create networks showcasing local products at CAAT.
• Coldiretti TorinocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2023Partnership with Coldiretti (90 of 130 local producers are members) to strengthen producer presence at CAAT and develop supply chain projects.
• Camera di Commercio Franco-Italiana (Milan)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2023Partnership for internationalization project with France, analyzed with CEO Cécile Bourland.
• Monkeys EvolutionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2023Collaboration for the CAATxARTxFUTURE street art project, creating a 300+ sqm mural using photocatalytic paints on CAAT's central pavilion.
• IFSE Culinary InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with the IFSE Culinary Institute, a recognized institution in gastronomic education, to promote and disseminate knowledge and appreciation of products from field to table.
• CaritasminorOthersLong-standing collaboration for food waste reduction through food surplus recovery and redistribution to families in need.
• Banco AlimentareminorOthersPartnership for food surplus recovery and redistribution to combat food waste and support communities in need.
• Solidarietà AlimentareminorOthersPost-2020 pandemic partnership with young volunteers who collect food surpluses from wholesalers, sort them, and distribute to associations serving households in poverty.
• Carovana SalvacibominorOthersPartnership with young volunteers engaged in food surplus recovery and redistribution following 2020 pandemic.
• ItalmercaticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAAT is a member of Italmercati, a network of Italian wholesale markets, with Vice President Paolo Merci representing at events.
• CCIAA (Camera di Commercio, Industria, Artigianato e Agricoltura)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCIAA Consulta per la Legalità coordinating cooperation on legal compliance in the agri-food sector.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Italmercati: The national network of Italian wholesale food markets, of which CAAT is a member. Italmercati is the umbrella/incumbent industry association coordinating the network of regional wholesale centers and provides the peer benchmark and policy voice for the sector.
• Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market: The largest wholesale produce market in the United States, serving the New York metropolitan region. Comparable as a large-scale terminal wholesale produce market with a co-op operator structure and broad food-service/retail customer base.

Direct peers

• Mercabarna: Barcelona's central wholesale food market (Mercabarna) is the closest analog to CAAT in scale and role: a large multi-product wholesale complex serving Catalonia, southern France, and Mediterranean trade routes with on-site logistics, cold storage, and digital services for wholesalers and producers.
• Marché International de Rungis: The world's largest wholesale food market near Paris, directly comparable as a fresh-produce and food-service wholesale hub. CAAT explicitly targets French Haute-Savoie from its catchment, putting Rungis at the top of its competitive/peer set across the border.
• New Covent Garden Market: London's primary wholesale fresh-produce, meat, and flower market — a direct functional peer operating a large physical market complex with on-site wholesalers serving restaurants, caterers, and retailers.
• Centro Agroalimentare di Bologna (CAAB): Bologna's wholesale agri-food center and Italmercati member, structurally and operationally comparable to CAAT: multi-product wholesale facility with on-site tenants, logistics platforms, and digital marketplace initiatives.
• SOGEMI - Orto Mercato di Milano: Milan's wholesale produce market operated by SOGEMI, a direct Italian peer in the same Italmercati network as CAAT, with overlapping producer/wholesaler/HO.RE.CA. customer base across northern Italy.
• Centro Agroalimentare di Verona: Verona's wholesale market is another Italmercati peer serving Veneto and northern Italy. Comparable in role as a fresh-produce and food-service wholesale hub with associated logistics and producer services.

Emerging players

• EatJust / Agri Marketplace (adjacent B2B produce platform): Online B2B marketplaces connecting producers directly with professional buyers in fresh produce. These emerging digital platforms are partial substitutes/complements to CAAT's physical wholesale model and inform its Digital Marketplace strategy.

Others

• Coldiretti Torino: Core strategic partner and Italian farmers' association representing 90 of CAAT's 130 associated local producers. Listed here as an ecosystem participant — not a competitor but a supply-side anchor that channels producer volumes through CAAT.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CentroAgroAlimentareTorino
• Instagraminstagram.com/caat_torino
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centro-agro-alimentare-torino

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CAAT - Centro Agro Alimentare Torino