Imagine that vegetable farmers could suddenly multiply their yields per acre. Or that the vegetable-growing season continued with ideal climatic conditions forever. Or that local soil quality and climate didn't matter. Or that there was no need to use pesticides because rodents and insects were nowhere to be seen. Or that large volumes of vegetables could be grown and processed on the edge of urban areas, slashing the time and expense of transporting produce to retail outlets. Growers and processors would be busy all year round in a predictably manageable way.

On the market since 1892 and now run by the founding family’s fifth generation, RAGO’s strengths lay in its sustainability and innovation. Every single process in the company is monitored and meets stringent quality parameters – from the production on its 500 acres through to packaging and shipment of the product.

Orto Bellina is an Italian family business that provides salads to the Italian, Swedish and German markets. Started by Fulvio Bellina with his wife and sons in 2001, the company operates out of the beautiful rural setting of Gorlago in the province of Bergamo. They produce what they call “biological” salads which are not treated with chemical agents, but produced with natural inputs; both unwashed and washed, which is ready to be dressed and eaten. The company prides itself on high quality, naturally produced products and is well-known for this. As the company has grown, so have the challenges around food safety, quality, reliability and sorting.