02  Interview: with an interview with head of one of the Group companies

04  RAR business: heading to a story about a grou’s company / business unit

06  Company Profile: an individual highlighs from someone in the group

JANUARY 2012 

AGRICULTURepRInCe of wALes honoURsvITACRess wITh A vIsIT

RARNewsletter#27

AGRICULTURepriNce of wales hoNoursvitacress with a visit

prince of wales

on 29 March, the alcochete glasshouses of vitacress, the leading european producer of organic tomatoes, watercress and baby leaf salads, received a visit from prince charles, who was visiting portugal, to familiarise himself with the company’s sustainable agricultural practices.

edIToRIAL NoTe at a time of economic instability the recognition that certain of the rar Group’s business areas have been receiving, in various ways, suggests that we are on the right path – that of sustained growth. the expansion of rar/vitacress in the united Kingdom was recognised by the British embassy in portugal with the conferring of the Business expansion award 2010-2011, which was presented to the company’s directors when prince charles was visiting portugal.

2/3prince charles, who was visiting portugal, to familiarise himself with the company’s sustainable agricultural practices.

on 29 March, the alcochete glass-houses of vitacress, the leading european producer of organic tomatoes, watercress and baby leaf salads, received a visit from prince charles, who was visiting portugal, to familiarise himself with the company’s sustainable agricultural practices. various procedures were explained to the prince during the visit, such as the company’s organic soil treatment mechanisms, the energy supply – including renewable energy and co2 reclamation projects – and the use of bees as natural pollinators.

the challenge is to scale up organic production

in portugal, 70% of the tomatoes produced by vita-cress are now organic. organic production of sal-ads and vegetables is currently five

per cent, although the company is planning for double-digit growth over the next five years. according to the company’s management, organic production is not just an option but a must, given its enor-mous potential in the light of con-sumer demand. the very signifi-cant growth that is expected calls for preparation, for example in terms of soil treatment. currently, ten per cent of the soils cultivated by the company are prepared for organic farming.in portugal, 70% of the tomatoes produced by vita-cress are now organic. organic production of sal-ads and vegetables is currently five per cent, although the company is planning for double-digit growth over the next five years.

wight salads group / vh rargroup creates vitacress lda.

the production and marketing of salads (vitacress), fresh tomatoes (wight salads) and fresh herbs (van heyningen Brothers and lighthorne herbs) operations have

recently been brought together under the vitacress limited um-brella. however, the various com-panies will continue to be legally separate. the three fresh produce businesses share a commitment to excellence in agriculture and the pursuit of high standards of prod-uct quality, technical capability and environmental responsibility, and are all leaders in their mar-kets. vitacress salads, acquired by the rar Group in 2008, has a history stretching back almost 60 years. its production takes place in portugal, spain and the uK, where its markets also are. wight salads, acquired in 2007, is the leader in the production and sale of fresh tomatoes in the uK, and also produces in portugal and spain. following the acquisition of light-horne herbs in 2008, the fresh herbs area was expanded in 2010 with the acquisition of van heynin-gen Brothers (vhB). it is estimated that in 2011 this line will account for around 20% of vitacress’s turnover.

acembex was one of the companies participating in the workshop “supporting with creativity? helping is an investment”, organized by crescerser, a non-profit charitableorganisation which works with children and young people. Quinta da Bonjóia in porto was the venue for the debate about innovative forms of social responsibility.

acembex was one of the companies participating in the workshop “supporting with creativity? helping is an investment”, organized by crescerser, a non-profit charitableorganisation which works with children and young people. Quinta da Bonjóia in porto was the venue for the debate about innovative forms of social responsibility. in the current economic climate, the active participation and involvement of businesses with the community is essential for the survival of non-profit organisations. that was one of the driving ideas behind the workshop. apart from acembex, companies and institutions such as sonaecom, porto commercial association, porto city council, the santa casa da Misericórdia do porto and porto food Bank participated in the initiative.

aBove: riGht paGe:

75%acembex was one of the companies participating in the workshop supporting with creativity? helping is an investment

4/5SoCIAL ReSPoNSIBILITYaceMBex participates iN crescerser deBate

acembex’s connection with crescerser dates back to 2003. currently, this rar group company leads the “mimo” project, which provides foodstuffs to two of the organisation’s homes. vitactress new product awarlondon’s covent garden was the venue chosen for the launch of wow micro leafs. the new product offers a range of herbs and salad leaves harvested at an early growth stage and selected for their intense flavour and vivid colours. with their different textures, unique flavours and visual impact, they are used by some of britain’s top michelin-star chefs. wow micro leafs are produced in the uK using a technologically sophisticated cultivation and control system. also in london, brian moralee of wight salads – a division of vitacress ltd. – received the “young grower of the year 2011” award. some 500 professionals from the british horticultural sector attended the ceremony at the lancaster london hotel. wight salads previously received the “organic grower of the year” award in 2009.

SoCIAL ReSPoNSIBILITYaceMBex participates iN crescerser deBateAcembex’s connection with CrescerSer dates back to 2003. Currently, this RAR Group company leads the “MIMO” project, which provides foodstuffs to two of the organisation’s homes.

Acembex was one of the companies participating in the workshop “Sup-porting with creativity? Helping is an investment”, organized by CrescerSer, a non-profit charitableorganisation which works with children and young people. Quinta da Bonjóia in Porto was the venue for the debate about inno-vative forms of social responsibility. In the current economic climate, the active participation and involvement of businesses with the community is essential for the survival of non-profit

iN bRieF

Now in its tenth year, Exit has incorpo-

rated new features. Following a change

of design in March 2010, Exit now offers

low cost flights, the ability to combine

flights from scheduled airlines and low

cost airlines, and searches using flex-

ible dates.

…

Imperial, the exclusive distributor of

Canderel in Portugal, has introduced

two new and innovative products in dis-

tribution channels. These are Milk Choc-

olate Coated Almonds and Milk Choco-

late Coated Almonds with Cinnamon,

available in leading distribution chains.

…

Vitacress has launched new products in

the Portuguese market. The “Delícias

da Horta” range now includes “Pimen-

titos”, the first organic Padrón peppers

on sale in Portugal. Production is 100%

Portuguese and is environmentally re-

sponsible. For those who do not have

time to cook, Vitacress has also launched

an exclusive range of soups and stocks.

…

In 2011, Imperial exhibited at sev-

eral important trade fairs. The

company’s portfolio was exhibited

at Biscuits Fair, in Cologne (Ger-

many), at SISAB, in Lisbon (Portu-

gal), and at Gulfood, in Dubai (UAE).

…

Edifício do Parque, developed by RAR

Imobiliária, has received Domus Natura

certification. This is the first real estate

project to receive this certification by

the multinational SGS for sustainability

in construction in Portugal. In 2007 Ed-

ifício do Parque received the SIL – Best

Real Estate Project of the Year Award.

organisations. That was one of the driving ideas behind the workshop. Apart from Acembex, companies and institutions such as Sonaecom, Porto Commercial Association, Porto City Council, the Santa Casa da Miser-icórdia do Porto and Porto Food Bank participated in the initiative. Acem-bex’s connection with CrescerSer dates back to 2003. Currently, this RAR Group company leads the “MIMO” project, which provides foodstuffs to two of the organisation’s homes.