Reusable packaging solution from Tosca delivers for Il Visone: superior product protection, load stability, and measurable sustainability gains
April 3, 2025 — For Il Visone, a key grape producer under Italy’s Agricoper Group, maintaining the quality of fresh grapes from field to retail has long been a balancing act between efficiency, protection, and sustainability. Now, a strategic switch to Tosca’s reusable plastic crates is helping the company achieve all three goals with impressive results.
Based in southern Italy, Il Visone supplies fresh grapes across Europe. Like many produce suppliers, the company struggled with the limitations of traditional single-use packaging. Cardboard and thin plastic trays often crumpled in cold storage, while inconsistent packaging sizes made pallet stability unreliable, raising safety concerns and leading to product damage and food waste.
In search of a solution, Il Visone partnered with Tosca, a reusable packaging pooling expert. It’s durable, foldable plastic crates have helped transform the company’s operations.
Stronger Packaging for Better Protection
“Grapes are highly sensitive to pressure, moisture, and temperature shifts,” a representative from Il Visone explained. “Tosca’s reusable plastic crates have simplified our operations and improved efficiency at every stage of our supply chain. From their durability and design to the excellent service provided, Tosca has been an invaluable partner.”
The crates’ perforated sides promote superior airflow in cold storage, extending freshness through the harvest season from August to November. At the same time, their rigid structure prevents moisture absorption and collapse, ensuring better load stability during stacking, transport, and storage.
This sturdiness has helped reduce pallet failure—a frequent issue with lightweight packaging—while keeping more grapes in top condition from harvest to retail shelves. It’s a win-win for product protection and customer satisfaction.
Efficiency from Field to Fork for Il Visone
Beyond product integrity, Tosca’s reusable crates have significantly streamlined logistics. Their foldable design makes it easier to return empty crates from retailers to the field or warehouse, reducing the number of trips and minimizing emissions.
“The foldable crates minimise transport back and forth between the fields and packhouses, saving time and reducing emissions,” the Il Visone representative added. “Workers can easily fold and store the empty crates, improving operational efficiency.”
The crates are also customized with Il Visone’s branding, improving traceability and brand visibility throughout the supply chain. It’s a small feature with big implications for inventory control and marketing alike.
Sustainability That’s Built In
For Il Visone, environmental performance is more than a buzzword—it’s a business imperative. The switch to Tosca’s reusable crates has allowed the company to phase out single-use packaging, cutting packaging waste and slashing its carbon footprint.
Because the crates are reused across multiple trips and seasons, they also help reduce food waste by lowering the risk of damage during transport. Il Visone has further enhanced the crates’ sustainability by washing them in-house, removing the need for transport to external cleaning facilities.
“By replacing single-use packaging with durable, washable, and fully reusable crates, the company significantly reduces waste,” Tosca noted. “The enhanced protection offered by Tosca’s crates also helps to minimise product damage, reducing food waste and ensuring that more grapes arrive at their destination in perfect condition.”
Encouraged by the results, Il Visone is expanding its collaboration with Tosca. The company is already using Tosca’s plastic pallets for internal handling and Tosca’s wood-effect reusable crates for retail display in the CRAI supermarket network. Looking ahead, Il Visone is exploring Tosca’s rental services and reusable Low Bin containers to further improve efficiency and circularity.
Find out more at our Tosca hub.
Source: Tosca
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Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
