President of the company that bears his nameand third generation at the helm of the family business, Pablo Paladini APERTURA serves APERTURA from Santa Fe, where the company is based, which has been based in Argentina for just over a century.
“Paladini has been there as long as I can remember”says. “I remember on Saturdays we accompanied my father with my brothers to check the cold rooms and the product drying room. For me it was an incredible experience. I was 6 years old and at that time we went on a tour of the factory with my father and looked at the salamis and hams.”remember.
At the moment, Paladini covers 150 hectares of industrial land: has six plants in Villa Gobernador Gálvez, Santa Fe Province; one on parchment and two hatcheries that overall They employ 2,200 people directly and 1,500 indirectly.
Pablo was 27 years old when he joined the family business. At that time, The company already had 900 employees. “I had my first experience in the supply side of the company when one of my cousins invited me to become part of the company in 1999 because the pig farm was being set up. Later In 2003 I joined the board of Paladini. In the meantime, my father withdrew from the board and my brother and I joined,” he says. Today, Paladini is one of the largest pork producers in the country: on the property of Gobernador Gálvez, processes 31,000 tons of pork.
“When I started in the utilities field, I walked the halls where my cousins and uncles were, who were the driving forces of the company. They gave me their support and the training I needed to get to know Paladini,” he says.
At this point, he began training in family business management and senior management programs with the aim of thoroughly understanding how to run a business of this type. Today, at the head of the law firm, he admits that he particularly enjoys “the art of negotiation”.. “I don’t know if I’m good at negotiating,” he admits, “but I love it and do it with a lot of passion.” “I am enthusiastic about family businesses because they have an advantage, namely the trust and loyalty that arise when making some important decisions for the company,” he emphasizes.
Now, The company is investing $30 million to increase the capacity of the current cooking line 70% below the forecast that Domestic consumption will show signs of recovery. As part of this commitment and with the aim of expanding its market share, The company expanded its frozen food portfolio with new products.
“We will be launching new product lines in the coming months. This means working behind closed doors to reduce expenses and costs and be more efficient. We carry out market studies and research and see this as the focus in which we can continue to grow; not only in traditional business, but also in new channels that we don’t have today“, he explains.
The entrepreneur emphasizes that, following the decline in inflation, he can currently draw a more predictable outlook in the medium term and make processes more efficient. “Under previous administrations, all inefficiencies were covered by prices And that no longer happens today, meaning the product is now starting to speak for itself and generate sales volumes. It’s not easy: it’s very difficult to enforce and often detrimental to profitability. because there are many competitors on the pitch,” he emphasizes.
In fact, this year Paladini is a few percentage points below expectations in terms of sales volumes, largely due to the decline in consumption.
Paladini’s bet
As part of your business strategy The company is now focusing on exporting its products. Although this market currently represents a smaller percentage – barely 5% of its total production – The aim is to increase exports in the coming years. Today its products are sold in Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, Hong Kong and China.
“We want to reach the end consumer with our brand so that it becomes internationally known.. “We’re much more interested in that than exporting half a piece of pork that arrives without a brand,” he says. However, he emphasizes that this line of business is not developing at the expected pace. The businessman attributes this to the “negative perception” left by Argentina in recent years, when the most restrictive policies affected export activities.
“We have to prove that we are a reliable country in the supply of products. Conquering a new market takes much longer for Argentina than for another country with more predictable policies. This is the path we have to take,” he stresses, emphasizing that today the exchange rate “doesn’t worry him.”
In this context Paladini emphasizes that the work the company does behind closed doors should also be done by the government with public administration. “The public sector must work to reduce unnecessary spending and work on efficiency. We cannot continue with the high tax levels we have or with the informal work that exists in Argentina,” he concludes.
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