ADOS Fresh, one of the most important players in the production, packaging, and marketing of fruits and vegetables through its group of companies, continues its accelerated growth and has extremely ambitious short- and medium-term objectives. The company has invested massively both in expanding the areas dedicated to various crops and in other key segments such as harvesting, sorting, packaging, and transport.
“We started in 2016 with ten hectares that we were cultivating, and today we operate 700 hectares and several companies across multiple areas of activity: we are a producer, trader, packer, service provider/transport operator, and exporter. Throughout this entire period, we have continuously invested, and we will continue to do so in the short and medium term. At the same time, 2025 will be a year of consolidation.”
“The development has been so rapid that we now need consolidation, efficiency improvements, and process optimization. We must build a corporate structure capable of managing all these activities and more than 300 employees—essentially transitioning from a family business to a corporation,” says Sorin Huțanu, founder of ADOS Fresh, in an interview with Modern Buyer.
Briefly, what is the history of the group and how has your dynamic evolved over the years?
We are a group of companies, and today we take pride in having an integrated business model—from seed to the supermarket shelf. The group includes Ados Fresh, the Pepeni de Pogoanele Cooperative, Didi Trans International (transport for our own products), and OEPIA (transport/expedition services for external suppliers, logistics, and warehousing). Over the years, we have grown rapidly and gained extensive experience that enables us to successfully manage every specific stage—from production to the delivery of the final product to B2B clients—with a team of around 300 employees.
Due to the rapid growth of our companies, we concluded that we needed to implement several beneficial changes in our organizational approach. We must create a corporate structure that allows us to manage all these activities, effectively transitioning from a family-run business to a corporate organization. This year, we brought on board a highly experienced professional in the agribusiness sector, who joined us in September.
With the help of Daniel Florescu, our new CEO, we have developed a short- and medium-term business plan, and what I can tell you is that 2025 will be a year of consolidation. As mentioned, we need streamlining, increased efficiency, process optimization, and more know-how that will allow us to manage everything we have built over the past eight or nine years.
What are the most recent investments you have made, and what objectives do they support?
Throughout the years, we have reinvested everything we earned—sometimes even more. For us, this has been the key to success. We started in 2016 with 10 hectares, and today we operate 700 hectares and several companies and activity lines: we are a producer, trader, packer, service provider/transport operator, and exporter. Therefore, the first major investments were in production, through expanding cultivated areas, irrigation, and more. We currently grow watermelons on about 100 hectares.
Two years ago, we began cultivating potatoes on 17 hectares in the Pogoanele/Buzău area, and in 2024 we reached 100 hectares of potatoes—production that we market both domestically and for export (France, the Netherlands, etc.). In 2025, we will cultivate 150 hectares of potatoes. Recently, we have also diversified and invested in other crops: onions, red beets, carrots (in testing), and beans. Investments continued in harvesting, sorting, packaging, and transport. We have a fleet of more than 150 trucks. In the packaging segment, we have significantly increased our capacity through relatively recent investments.
Through the DR 22 measure (35% own contribution and 65% non-refundable support), we accessed two financing programs. One of them, valued at 1 million euros, targeted the modernization of our packaging station, enabling us to increase packaging capacity to around 200 tons of vegetables per day, featuring a palletizing robot and high-performance processing lines.
Technological upgrades are essential in this challenging context of severe labor shortages. The second project was dedicated to the Pepeni de Pogoanele Cooperative—building a new warehouse and purchasing agricultural equipment worth 1.6 million euros. Both projects were accessed in the 2020–2022 period and are now close to completion.
The latest and largest investment project is also part of DR 22, with a total value of around 16 million euros, VAT included.
What type of investment did you access this latest grant for, and what is its objective?
The financing project aims to build a factory dedicated to the production of frozen vegetables. More precisely, the objective is to reduce the pressure to sell items that face market blockages or second-quality products that cannot be commercialized in retail. As sellers of fresh and packaged goods, we often encounter difficulties with products that retail clients do not want to place on shelves.
These products need to be processed, which is why we decided to invest in a frozen vegetable factory dedicated to the B2B segment. This will also help us reduce food waste. Moreover, we are talking about products with added value. It is one thing to sell raw materials and another to sell processed goods. As part of this project, we have designed storage areas for 4,000 tons of goods, which will also help us extend what we call the “Romanian season.”
In this context, once we integrate frozen vegetables into our business model, we will become far more competitive and will truly operate as a “full-chain” company. Together with the board members, Adina Sorescu and Daniel Florescu, we have visited several countries across Europe, and we have yet to find a supplier with a similar business model. Typically, processors purchase their raw materials from external suppliers. We want to produce our own raw materials, process them, transport them, and sell them ourselves.
When do you expect this production facility to be completed, and what types of frozen vegetables will you launch?
Most likely, the factory will be completed toward the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026. Our business plans are ready, and we have several scenarios on the table, but as you know, the authorization process takes quite a long time. We already know the direction we want to take—we will launch mixed products as well as single-ingredient items such as potatoes. However, at this stage, we prefer not to reveal our entire product strategy.
What other objectives do you have for 2024 and 2025?
We have initiated this shift toward corporate governance and are currently in the process-identification and documentation phase. We are also fully engaged in implementing ERP, BI, and CRM systems that we will use moving forward. In 2025, we will continue expanding our cultivated areas, with the objective of reaching 900 hectares. We can define this year as one of stability and consolidation for the company.
How do you estimate the group’s turnover for the end of 2024?
Despite price volatility, the turnover will increase by 30–35%. Profitability, however, will not see the same level of growth—operational costs have increased significantly, as have investments—but this is normal given the current economic context. We’ve had a good year and expect an even better one. We will all be “fully plugged in,” the effort will be considerable, and hopefully the results proportionate. We are among the few companies in Romania’s fruit and vegetable sector that can deliver anywhere from a single pallet to 20 trucks per day.
Source: www.modernbuyer.ro