Quality FIRST

By working on sustainability and innovation, Alpina is banking on growing further in Ecuador and developing an entire value chain of food brands in the country.

Alpina has been in the homes of Ecuadorian families for about 25 years. How would you characterize the relationship between the company and Ecuador?

Alpina believes in Ecuador, and we believe that this country will continue to grow. For the past 25 years, we have developed a sustainable operation here. We are supporting the communities in Carchi and Machachi, where we have two facilities and three distribution centers. We are fully committed to this country. We believe in its resources, in its human capital, and in the products we can produce here, which is why we have operations here. Even though we have Swiss-Colombian roots, our production is here. The future outlook for Alpina Ecuador, for the country and for the economy here, look even better.

What is your strategy to grow in Ecuador?

In terms of sales, we want to grow at least 7% next year. We have different strategies to achieve that growth, and I would define it in two words: innovation and sustainability. In terms of innovation, we have different products, and it is not just us, but our competitors as well that are innovating, because we need to keep up with the changing times and demands. We are innovating to provide our consumers with whatever they want. Online systems are growing in Ecuador, so e-commerce is growing. That is why we are focusing on understanding our consumers and their habits to provide them an innovative portfolio in terms of product, packaging, and more. We also want to grow in the sustainable area, which is not new for us. We have been concerned about the environment and our responsibility to our communities, and this is an area that we want to grow. Right now, we buy milk, which is our main raw material for our dairy business, from more than 180 different farmers and suppliers, who are part of 18 associations. That's one of the ways we can grow in the country: by supporting our community. Alpina buys 140,000 liters of milk daily, valuing their work and providing growth opportunities for the entire value chain.

Feeds consumers at all stages of their lives with high-quality products and innovation

How did the pandemic affect your team, and what did you learn?

At the beginning, there was a lot of uncertainty for many companies, although we had to commit to our purposes. First, we had to ensure the health of our people, so we changed our production procedures, safety measures and social distancing rules. Our priority was their health first. Second, we are a food company; our purpose is to feed people. We had to adapt and be extremely flexible. We changed many procedures to ensure that consumers could access their products and gain their trust in order to offer a service aligned with new technologies. In fact, we were one of the companies able to supply food even when our competitors could not. The pandemic was beneficial for us in terms of our ability to demonstrate what we are capable of doing. Culture and people make a big difference, because the pandemic brought out the best in us during the worst situation.

Focusing on preserving the environment and ensuring sustained growth

Alpina is at the forefront of sustainable initiatives in the dairy industry. Can you detail what you have implanted in Ecuador?

In Ecuador, we have seven specific commitments in terms of the environment and social impact. In terms of social impact, in October we signed agreements with food banks, both in Quito and Guayaquil, which is a major milestone for us. For food companies, donating food is the best way of providing support. We also wanted a partnership and thus formed an agreement to start supporting their programs by volunteering and providing other support. It is good for us to show that we can contribute to the community in a different way. To provide another example, we give all our farmers training and teach them how to grow. They have their own small businesses, and we want their businesses to grow.