Effective and tailor-made
Logistics is often the primary missing link between small producers, and affordable products for end consumers. Our food hub organisational structure functions as a bridge to connect fragmented and dispersed producers across Eastern Sicily with individuals or group of consumers in Luxembourg and surroundings by offering a logistical and organisational platform for the aggregation and distribution of sourced-identified food products.
Along our own supply chain, we made the choice to coordinate, not operate, the aggregation and transportation of products, relying on our partner producers and a key independent trucking company operating in Eastern Sicily. For distribution of products across Luxembourg, we are active on the front line, by operating the deliveries to consumers on monthly basis, from October to May, via one transaction point, while still preserving the producers' identity behind the product.
The turnaround time for most orders is 8 to 10 days after the harvest:
2 days
Harvest / Transport to the central warehouse
2 days
2 days
Preparing boxes and pallets
3 days
Truckload shipping from Sicily to Luxembourg
3 days
3 days
Deliveries to consumers
How do we get the product from small producers?
We rely on our partner farmer, Salvatore Di Marco, with storage capacity and a van to aggregate products sourced from small producers located in between the Catania, Syracuse and Ragusa areas. He owns and operates his own van and warehouse located in Francofonte, which is less than 1-hour drive from both cities.
When orders are received, we consolidate them and let Salvatore know what we need to meet the demand. He is strategically located to pick up the products from one partner producer to the next, bring them to his warehouse and hand-pack in boxes. Boxes are then placed on pallets for shipment to Luxembourg.
For fresh fruits, we do not work with stocks: we let our farmers know what’s been ordered and they harvest it just for you, which means that we deliver fresh fruits within days, compared to traditional fruits which often sit for weeks, losing nutrients and flavor.
How do we get the product from Sicily to Luxembourg?
We rely on a family-run company that is specialized in the national and international transportation of food to and from Sicily. Located in Ragusa, which is less than 1-hour drive from Salvatore's warehouse, the company provides trucks and staff which ensure safe and on-time delivery in 3 days.
Once pallets are packed, we contact the regional trucking firm to pick up and transport to Luxembourg. Truck departure days are either Fridays or Mondays, which means that truck arrival days to Luxembourg are either Sundays/Mondays or Wednesdays/Thursdays.
The last mile connection: how do we deliver the product right to you?
Delivering your order right to you continues to be the most challenging step of our logistical process. Without a physical infrastructure in Luxembourg, once a month we rent a warehouse space and a van on a day-to-day basis to drive the products.
The truck is expected to arrive to the warehouse in Luxembourg late evening and relief pallets stay at the warehouse overnight and next morning for the quality control. Boxes are picked up directly from us by a rental van, and distributed to our delivery point networks, as well as right to to your doorsteps, within 3 days from when the truck has arrived. In order to reduce van usage, delivery routes are carefully planned to minimize the distance travelled while maximizing van space used.
Where We Deliver
To find out more, please visit our page DELIVERY OPTIONS.