In Iran, the apple sector is growing rapidly, and so is the need for sorting lines to reach a greater number of foreign markets. Thus, the Iranian company Samiran Salsmat purchased a processing line capable of sorting 10 tons of apples per hour from the Italian company Futura. The line was delivered and installed in September 2021 and has been operational for about a month now. We asked Mostafa Ayoubi Far, director of Samiran Salsmat, about the potential of Iranian fruit companies and his company in particular, and why he chose Futura.
FreshPlaza (FP): How many hectares of apples do you grow? Which varieties? Mostafa Ayoubi Far (MAF): We have hundreds of hectares. Besides our plots, we also rent hundreds of hectares every year in the most famous and best apple growing areas of Iran, such as near the cities of Maraghe, Uromiyeh, Padana, Samirom and Isfahan, among others. We mainly grow Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Gala, Pink Lady, Granny Smith and Fuji. In addition to apples, we also export other fruits and vegetables such as kiwi, citrus, tomato, bell bell pepper, cucumber, potatoes, carrots, onions, beets, parsley, mint and cilantro.
(FP): What are your destination markets? (MAF): Samiran Salamat Co. with the trade name Lofan is a well-known supplier of fruits and vegetables in the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf. Thanks to our professional team, our know-how gained in many areas including market research, an experienced international trading department and our own packaging plant, we have achieved great success in these countries. We now also have offices in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Qatar. We firmly believe that our human capital and the quality of our products are our most important assets. As exporters of high-quality fruits and vegetables, we have received more than 10 awards and recognitions in Iran in recent years. Our high-quality products processed with modern European machines now allow us to enter new markets. We already have new customers in India, Russia, CIS countries, Iraq and Pakistan. In 2022, we will present our products (especially apples) at international fairs in European and African countries.
(FP): The Covid-19 pandemic continued to be a global problem also in 2021. What impact has this had on your business? (MAF): The whole world is going through a difficult time and the impact has been significant for businesses. During the pandemic, we received more orders, but there are also a lot of problems related to the production and logistics. Nevertheless, we are facing it as an incredible opportunity to improve our efficiency and we have taken further measures. As part of the food chain, we take into account all hygiene and safety regulations recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and by the local government authorities. We have hired a hygiene specialist who provides all the necessary training to our staff and supervises all phases of our work in this regard.
(FP): Has the pandemic affected the implementation of Futura's new sorting line? (MAF): We have not only continued our daily activities in our packaging plant, but we have also decided to add a modern high-capacity electronic sorting line from the Italian manufacturer Futura, with whom we have had a fruitful collaboration and who continues to provide us a very effective support. The production of the line was not delayed and Futura delivered the machines exactly on the day as stated in the contract. The Italian company gave us great support to install and start up the line on time. Furthermore, we were surprised by the excellent training they offered us from a technical and operational point of view. The machine has been in use for several months now and we continue to receive professional after-sales service through the Futura Technical Hub in Iran and from the head office located in Italy. The remote technical support via the internet also works perfectly.
(FP): What are the advantages of the Futura technology? (MAF): In Futura we have found a very reliable partner, and this is based on many aspects. The team is very helpful, friendly and always willing to cooperate as quickly as possible; They offer the best possible technical solutions based on more than 40 years of experience. The company is really well organized in all areas. The quality of all parts and components of the line is excellent and they use first-class brands in their machines. We have been able to improve the level of our sorting by weight, size and color with Futura's electronic sorter and this helps us to access important international markets and customers.
(FP): What do you pay the most attention to? (MAF): Providing top quality products is our priority. Therefore, we pay a lot of attention to bringing the best possible products to the packaging plant, where we carry out rigorous sorting and extremely careful wrapping. Now, thanks to Futura, we are stronger at this than before. Moreover, we are always improving the type and quality of our packaging, and everything is done according to the customer's wishes.
(FP): Why did you choose Futura? (MAF): We had heard of this Italian company before, but in the last three years we have seen some successful installations at other large Iranian companies, such as Arya Sam for kiwis and apples. During the installation of an apple sorting line in another Iranian company in September 2020, Futura's export manager visited our packaging station and we had a technical discussion with him, receiving a detailed quotation. At that time, we also looked at proposals from other suppliers, but in the end, we found this to be the best choice and we are very happy with our decision. This line has proved to operate impeccably.
For more information:
Futura s.r.l.
Via R. Mattioli 75
47522 Cesena (FC) Italy
+39 0547 632749
[email protected]
www.futura-grading.com
Samiran Salsmat Co. 
Mr. Mostafa Ayoubi Far
212th. St. North Ebrekar Blvd.
Ebtekar Sq.
Shiraz Main Industrial Estate
Shiraz - Iran
0098 71 3774 4152 - 4
[email protected]