"We design the client's dream," says Alexandra Caminschi, founder and CEO of Advice&Consulting, describing the moment when, after careful planning, the team from the Bolognese company sits down with the investor to finalize their future cherry orchard.
"This is the moment when the future cherry grower's creativity comes to light, and we try to follow it, as long as the analysis from our agronomists and technicians assures us of its feasibility. The cherry tree," Alexandra Caminschi explained to Cherry Times, "is a very profitable but complex crop that requires a lot of attention and preparation."
Advice&Consulting provides assistance and support to its clients from soil analysis to delivering cherries to the market, both in the design phase and day-to-day, throughout the entire productive life of the cherry orchard.
The company is only eight years old but has already managed 3,000 hectares of orchards in various countries, both in Italy and worldwide. The first cherry orchard managed by the Advice team was 20 hectares, and today, the company cultivates 250 hectares. Starting with just one agronomist on the technical team, today the consultants working for Advice are seven, and four more offices have been opened, in addition to the main office in Medicina (Bo).
"With the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine, we are now expanding our horizons. We have received requests from other parts of the world, from Algeria, Turkey, and even India. We are exploring the Indian market, which is very promising but complex. There is a great deal of fragmentation. Our technicians have already been to India three or four times, and we have already sent some containers of plants."
Image 1.
The tried-and-tested assistance formula remains the same, even for new markets that are opening up: "We follow the entire project from the beginning. The agronomists – continued Alexandra Caminschi – are all Italian, and we rely on local managers who can pass on our know-how to local fruit growers.
Image 2: Alexandra Caminschi.
We are satisfied and proud of a result when the client understands the added value of having 100% Italian technology and know-how. On the other hand, when it comes to fruit growing, Italy is an excellence. Even research is at a very high level."
Indeed, Advice&Consulting, by designing the cherry orchard from scratch, relies on Italian partners, technology suppliers, and consultants. "In choosing suppliers," Alexandra Caminschi told us, "we evaluate the market offering, the technical characteristics of the machinery, but above all, we listen to feedback from Italian producers who already use that technology. We only recommend it to our clients when the team has studied it and is convinced that the solution is valid and safe."
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Those who decide to rely on the Bolognese company for the design of their cherry orchard will find a whole team at their service: "The first thing we do when we receive a request is to send someone on-site, either an agronomist or a local manager. It's important to identify the land and analyze it. We take soil and water samples and have them analyzed in Italy to ensure the parameters are correct.
We then assess the climatic conditions of the last five years – Caminschi further explained – to anticipate any problems the cherry grower may face. Decisions to be made start from there, beginning with the choice of variety, rootstock, and planting distance. Naturally, the market factor must be considered.
You need to know the intended destination for that cherry, understand the country you are operating in, and know the competitors. For this part, we rely on both external economic consultants and internal sources within the investing company. The results of the initial assessments come from the careful consideration of our entire team, which then drafts the orchard with 2D and 3D AutoCAD designs.
The initial project, before reaching its final version, can be revised up to 20 times, with considerable interaction with the client. There are many choices to make, such as which support and protection structures to use, irrigation, and the entire post-harvest management involving refrigeration, sorting machinery, and packaging decisions."
Advice&Consulting aims to be the reliable partner present at every crucial moment: "The fruit grower must focus on production, creating market contacts, and recruiting and training their workforce. We at Advice," said Alexandra Caminschi, "have great knowledge of suppliers and know how to recommend, in a well-considered way, the best choices tailored to the specific situation of that fruit-growing company."
With many case histories behind them, companies of all sizes and varied situations, there is one certainty Alexandra Caminschi feels confident to convey: "I always tell clients, perhaps give up a few hectares, but cover and protect the cherry orchard. With the climate crisis, you truly cannot know what will happen.
Once we have analyzed the specific conditions of a company and found them suitable for dwarf rootstocks, we always recommend them. The cherry orchard comes into production earlier and is more manageable. If the conditions are right, especially for first-generation cherry growers, dwarf rootstocks are the best choice."
And once the design and planting phase is complete? "We continue to support the company, both with all the digital tools and through visits from our agronomists. We have the 'Agrinsight' app, which uses sensors we install in companies, allowing us to continuously receive a data stream."
"There are regular online meetings, but digital cannot replace physical presence. We visit on-site at least five times a year: for pruning, thinning, pre-harvest, post-harvest, and in the fall, we jointly study the strategy for the coming season."
"Support is ongoing. We are constantly alongside the client and provide training on the technologies adopted by the client, in addition to organizing field visits in Italy to see how Italian producers work and how the cherry orchard behaves as it grows."
Images: Advice and Consulting
Barbara Righini
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