Launch of Norofert Fito line
08 Jul 2019
Launch of Norofert Fito line
Norofert Group launches hobby gardening line under Norofert Fito brand, partners up with Republica Bio for direct sale to retail customers across Romania
Norofert Group, the leading Romanian producer of organic agricultural products, launches a new line of organic fertilizers and bio inputs for small farmers and hobby gardeners under the Norofert Fito brand. Norofert Fito represents a new business line for the company, which is the main producer of organic fertilizers in Romania, having approximately 30% of the local market of inputs for medium- to large-scale organic farming.
The new line of products for small farmers and hobby gardeners consists of 8 products and it includes organic fertilizers, insectoids as well fungicides that can be followed thorough the whole plant cycle, in order to ensure its full health. The products can be used on all types of vegetable, fruit and flower farms that are being grown in non-commercial quantities (up to one hectare). The full line of Norofert Fito products is available, starting today, on the website of Republica BIO, www.RepublicaBIO.ro, the e-commence leader on the organic food market in Romania. Norofert Fito is the first line of products of the Group that is available for purchasing to the general public, in quantities that are ranging between 100-250 ml per product.
“We are pleased to officially launch Norofert Fito ahead of our listing on the Bucharest Stock Exchange since we prove to the market and our future shareholders that we are focused on our goals and are able to fulfil our promises. We are the first local producer to attack the small farmers’ market and we think that the potential is high as globally, we have seen massive growth for the specialized lines for hobby gardening, and the trend now starting to also reach Romania. We are proud to join forces with such a respectable and trusted by customers brand as Republica BIO and we are confident that together, we can help Romanian people not only eat, but also cultivate healthy, organic crops, fruits and vegetables” said Vlad Popescu, CEO and majority shareholder at Norofert Group.
Republica BIO was established in 2015 by Ciprian Stancu and was the first online store in Romania to offer exclusively organic products. Today, it offers over 4,500 certified bio products to its 33,000 customers across the country. Since 2015, Republic Bio also has its own line of products that include organic coconut oil, locally sourced honey, functional powders as well as nutritional supplements.
“We are pleased to welcome Norofert to Republica BIO family. I am particularly happy about this announcement because Norofert is a Romanian entrepreneurial story. At Republica BIO, we always prioritize collaboration with local producers, with whom we share the same values and passion for healthy lifestyle. Ecologic means healthy. The food has to be produced on the farm, not in the supermarket. Our health begins with the responsible farms, and Norofert products comply with all the rules of responsible agriculture. We applaud the bold decision taken by Norofert Group to list on the Bucharest Stock Exchange and we will follow the company’s evolution closely, in order to also evaluate the capital markets route as an opportunity to grow and develop Republica BIO further in the future“ said Ciprian Stancu, Founder and majority shareholder of Republica BIO.
All products from the Norofert Fito line meet the micro- and macro-element needs of the plants, contributing to their healthy growth and development, while simultaneously offering complete solutions for disease and pest control. All Norofert inputs, including the components of the Fito line, are produced using raw vegetal, animal, bacterial materials and microorganisms as ingredients and were approved for use in organic farming across the EU in accordance with Council Regulation 834/2007 and Commission Regulation 889/2008 on organic production and labelling of organic products. In practice this means that the products that were harvested using Norofert products are healthier for the end-consumers because they lack the harmful pesticides residue, which can be found in crops, vegetables and fruits that were grown using conventional farming products. The full Norofert Fito line is validated for organic farming by one of the largest ecological certification bodies in Europe, EcoCert France.
Apart from reaching new customers through Republica BIO’s website, by the end of 2019, Norofet Group plans to have the Fito line available in 200 specialized gardening stores across Romania as well as expand to new markets through collaboration with foreign distributors.
In April 2019, Norofert Group has announced its intention to list on the AeRO market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange. During the private placement which will proceed the listing, Norofert aims to raise a minimum of 1 million euro, capital which will be primarily directed into expanding the sales team and equipping a new factory, which in turn will allow the company to increase its production tenfold as well as significantly expand the storage capability.
The private placement of Norofert is scheduled to take place in first weeks of July and the management expects to be a publicly traded company later than in September 2019. Once it floats on the AeRO market, Norofert will be the first company representing the agricultural and agro-tech sector on the Bucharest Stock Exchange. Agriculture employs approximately 30% of the Romanian population, being one of the highest rates in Europe.