“WE CARE ABOUT OUR SEEDS”

This month we have met for a join interview Sais’ longterm chief warehouse managers Marco and Raffaele, who have been taking care of the storage, processing and treatment of our seeds for over 4 decades.

Marco (left) and Raffaele (right)

Name

Marco (Ma. from now on)

Raffaele (Ra. from now on)

What is your role in the company?

Ma: chief warehouse manager

Ra: chief warehouse manager

How long have you been working in Sais?

Ma: 40 years, I have been working in Sais since 1985

Ra: I have been working in Sais for 43 years and 1 month, today is my last working day before retiring

Which are the aspects of your job that you like most?

Ma: Every crop and every year we face new challenges while selecting raw seeds

Ra: I “grew up” within the company. When I started working here, I was just a simple land surveyor, with a lot of knowledge and no practice and certainly field experience has allowed me to gain proficiency

What are the most difficult challenges you face in your job?

Ma  In so many years the way of working has changed  very much and I have had to learn a lot. I have been here for 40 years, so despite the challenges, I enjoy my work, otherwise I would not have stayed here all these years

Ra: The challenge has been adapting to every change, from hand-cranked machines to electronics, from recording stock entries by hand to digital records

Which is the “secret” to best storing stock seeds? What advice can you give our customers?

Ma:  The “secret” is keeping 18 degrees steady temperature in the warehouse and 45% humidity in the environment. Sacks and bags have to be stored always on platforms and never in direct contact with the ground

Ra: The secret is caring of seeds with passion

Have you planted any Sais varieties in your garden?

Ma: Unfortunately I have no land

Ra: Yes, every year I garden with Sais seeds: in particular I have planted Basil Gentile, Chicories and Squashes of the Sais range.