August 24, 2016

Iran-based fruit company, Upro Tarh Poyua Kish, announced it has established a joint venture with Italian fruit and vegetable company, Nature SLR, to launch the new company, Upro Nature Kish.

Founded by Abbas Ali Bahavarn in 2009 on Kish Island, Iran, Upro was born from the merging of various companies with the initial focus on the commercialization of pomegranates. In the ensuing years, Upro began exporting to both regional countries and the EU.

Nature was founded in Southern Italy in in 2006 and is involved in the cultivation, sorting, processing, and packaging of fruit and vegetables, growing to be one of the strongest produce companies in the EU. The company follows a production philosophy centered on ‘integrated agriculture’ – a meshing of both conventional and organic agricultural production methods.

The joint venture will bring together Upro’s connection to Iran’s natural resources with Nature’s modern technology in fruit processing, sorting, and packaging, and wider market access.

“Upro succeeded in removing many obstacles blocking the transfer of know-how, latest technology, machinery and production standards to Iran through attracting one of the most credible European companies as a foreign investor and the establishment of Upro Nature,” the company stated in a recent release.

Fruitnet reports that Upro Nature Kish’s product line will include pomegranates and their by-products including juice, seeds, and vinegar, also pistachios, lemons, grapefruit, saffron, dates, dried vegetables, and spices. The newly launched company is also aiming to gain a position as the top supplier of fruit and vegetables throughout the Middle Eastern market while also pioneering the modernization of Iran’s agricultural industry.

After global nuclear sanctions were lifted from Iran last year, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Italy in January of this year, meeting with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and sealing business deals valued at €20 billion (US$22 billion) at a ceremony in Rome. Both countries see the new relationship as mutually beneficial – with Italy gaining access to Iran’s $400 billion economy, while Iran will be better able to diversify its economy beyond oil and gain greater access to European markets.

At the time of the meeting, Bloomberg reports that Rouhani stated that at one time, Italy was Iran’s top European trading partner, adding, “… we are sure that a good collaboration between our two countries will happen again.”

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Lynda Kiernan