Il Girasole Soc Coop

What Il Girasole Soc Coop does

Il Girasole Soc. Coop. is a Sicilian agricultural cooperative founded in 1997 and headquartered in Paternò (province of Catania), operating at the foothills of Mount Etna. The cooperative cultivates approximately 500 hectares of citrus (including Tarocco, Moro, Sanguinello, Navelina, Lane Late, Ovale Calabrese, Valencia Late, plus Femminello Siracusano lemons and Ciaculli mandarins) and 100 hectares of stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, Coscia pears, apricots), producing an estimated 10,000 tonnes annually. Production is supported by a 3,500 sqm facility with 600 tonnes of cold storage (plus 300-tonne rotation), ozone-gas refrigeration, drip irrigation with rainwater harvesting, and a renewable energy installation enabling self-sufficient storage and processing.

Revenue is generated primarily through three channels: wholesale produce markets (60% of sales), organized retail / GDO chains in Italy (40%), and a consumer-facing e-commerce store launched in 2023. International exports reach Germany and Poland, with prospecting underway in Romania and the Czech Republic. The cooperative holds GlobalGAP, IFS, BRC, and Arancia Rossa di Sicilia IGP certifications, and Mario Tripoli (Production Manager) sits on the Board of the Consorzio di Tutela Arancia Rossa di Sicilia IGP. The cooperative sells under the Donna Rosa and Felicia sub-brands and is led by the Tripoli family: Carmelo Tripoli (President), Mario Tripoli (Production), Giovanni Scavo (Commercial Manager), and Serena Scavo (Commercial).

Name

Il Girasole Soc Coop

Legal name

Il Girasole Soc. Coop.

Website

https://ilgirasolearance.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Il Girasole is a Sicilian agricultural cooperative founded in 1997 that cultivates ~600 hectares of premium citrus and stone fruit at the foothills of Mount Etna, producing roughly 10,000 tonnes annually for wholesale markets (60%), Italian organized retail (40%), e-commerce, and exports to Germany and Poland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Fruit Production

NAICS

Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113), Orange Groves (11131)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Farmer Cooperatives & Co-op Retail (AFABAJAB)

Keywords

• Sicilian citrus fruits
• Arancia Rossa IGP
• Organic fruit cooperative
• Stone fruit production
• Wholesale fruit distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Paternò

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fresh Citrus and Stone Fruit Sales: Primary revenue from cultivating and selling fresh citrus fruits (oranges, blood oranges, mandarins, lemons, clementines) and summer stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, Coscia pears). The commercial calendar spans the entire year with early, mid, and late varieties. Distribution through wholesale markets (60%), organized retail/GDO (40%), and direct e-commerce.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Il Girasole Soc Coop is an Italian agricultural cooperative based in Paternò, Sicily, that produces, processes, and distributes Sicilian citrus fruits (blood oranges, lemons, mandarins, clementines, mandarancio) and stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, apricots, pears) under the Donna Rosa and Felicia brands. The cooperative operates an integrated production chain from cultivation to packaging and pectin extraction, serving both wholesale markets and organized retail (GDO) in Italy and abroad.

Product overview

Il Girasole Soc Coop is an Italian agricultural cooperative specializing in fresh citrus fruits and stone fruits, operating as both a wholesale supplier and direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform. The product portfolio centers on Sicilian oranges (Arancia Rossa including Tarocco varieties Nucellare, Gallo, Ippolito, Lempso, Meli, Sant'Alfio, plus Moro and Sanguinello; and Arancia Bionda including Navelina, Lane Late, Ovale Calabrese, and Valencia Late), complemented by Clementine Nova, Mandarino Tardivo di Ciaculli, Limone Femminello Siracusano, and mixed citrus boxes. Summer fruits include Pesche e Nettarine (peaches and nectarines), Pere Coscia, and Albicocche (apricots). The company holds IGP certification for Arancia Rossa di Sicilia and distributes through wholesale markets (60%), organized retail (40%), and a newly launched e-commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Donna Rosa: One of two brand labels for the company's products, named after a woman who marked the life and history of the company. Character, sweetness, and beauty are characteristics that distinguish the world of oranges under this brand.
• Felicia

Products and services

• Donna Rosa brand citrus fruits
• Felicia brand fruit products
• Organic Bio citrus line
• Pectin processing byproducts

Quantifiable outcome

• Storage capacity of 600 tonnes plus 300 tonne rotation enabling continuous supply
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Consorzio di Tutela Arancia Rossa di Sicilia IGPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe cooperative is a member of the Arancia Rossa di Sicilia IGP Consortium, which protects and promotes Sicilian blood oranges. Mario Tripoli, Production Manager, serves on the Consortium's Board of Directors. This membership provides regulatory protection, quality standards, and marketing support for certified Sicilian red oranges.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Apofruit Italia: Italian cooperative of fruit and vegetable producers with national distribution across fresh produce categories. Comparable as a producer-owned cooperative supplying Italian and European retail, though with broader category scope beyond citrus.
• Naturitalia: Italian fruit and vegetable producer consortium supplying organized retail with certified Italian produce. Comparable as a producer consortium serving GDO channels with domestically certified fresh produce, including citrus.
• Granfrutta Zani: Italian fruit cooperative specializing in stone fruit and other fresh produce for retail and wholesale channels. Comparable as a producer cooperative distributing fresh fruit through Italian organized retail, particularly overlapping with Il Girasole's peach and nectarine portfolio.
• Oranfrizer: Sicilian citrus specialist producing blood oranges and other citrus from the Mount Etna region, with both fresh and juice processing capabilities. Directly comparable in product category (Arancia Rossa), geography, and IGP positioning, though Oranfrizer operates at significantly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Dole plc: Global fresh produce leader distributing fruit and vegetables across 70+ countries. Comparable as a diversified fresh fruit supplier to European retail, though at vastly larger scale and broader category scope including tropical and non-citrus fruit.
• Unifrutti Group: International fresh produce company with operations across Italy, South America, Africa, and Asia, supplying global retailers. Comparable as a vertically integrated fresh produce operator; Unifrutti has acquired Italian citrus assets (including Oranfrizer).
• Orsero Group: Italian-headquartered Mediterranean produce distributor and producer with banana and tropical fruit operations across Europe. Comparable as a Mediterranean produce company serving European retailers, though significantly larger and broader in scope.
• Conserve Italia: Italian food cooperative encompassing processed fruit, tomato, and vegetable products through brands like Cirio and Valfrutta. Comparable as a major Italian producer cooperative, though focused on processed/preserved foods rather than fresh produce.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ilgirasole
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ilgirasolearance

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Il Girasole Soc Coop