- Labianca on being adjudged frozen meat importer of the year
Labianca Company Limited, a leading importer of fresh frozen meat and fish products, was recently recognised at the Ghana Shippers Awards.
The company was adjudged best importer of frozen meat and fish products for 2020, based on volumes and value of its imports. The award, the company noted, is in recognition of the progress it has made over the years, as well as a call to do even better in the years ahead.
“We are definitely elated. We view it as a fair recognition of the efforts we have put in the years past to bring quality foods to our customers,” its Managing Director, Etse Gadegbeku, commented, adding: “We are further encouraged to strive to do better.”
From humble beginnings in 2009 shipping in two containers a month and with just five workers, it has over the years grown to become one of the leading frozen meat products importers in the country.
Today, Labianca boasts a workforce of around 500 and branches in Tema, Kumasi, Techiman, Tamale and other towns within the country. It is also currently among the top five importers of frozen poultry, meat and fish in terms of volumes in the country.
Labianca’s growth, as explained by Mr. Gadegbeku, is the result of quality customer service and products, as well as strategic partnership with major international food brands, such as Remkes, Seara, Vd bor, Mountaire, Mieki and Friboi. Working with these top brands, the company is able to bring in high quality meat products to the local market.
“We have been a major partner of shipping lines in the year under review. By our volumes of imports, we have helped increased the turnovers of our shipping line partners. Thus, it is our staunch belief that we deserve this honour bestowed on us,” he added.
Aside this, the company in conjunction with its business partner Wegdam Food Link has also been able to launch its own brand of quality products known as Nana.
Labianca’s watchwords are purity and honesty, a phrase which epitomises its core values – providing the highest quality of frozen foods to its customers and consumers. “One can be assured of the best quality of products because Labianca has invested in the best storage technologies to keep products in their freshest state. With respect to prices, Labianca’s prices are the prices to beat on the market.”
The company uses state-of-the-art modern equipment such as Electrical folklifts in the coldrooms and this eliminates any chance of food poisoning as a result of fumes that settles on the cartons when using diesel folklifts.
Additionally, the main coldstore located at the Tema Harbour is the largest solar operated coldstore in West Africa with over 1200 solar panels producing over 350 kilo watts of solar power.
Giving back to society
Just like any socially responsible business entity, Labianca, led by its Chief Executive Officer, Eunice Buah Asomah Hinneh, a member of the Council of State, believes in not only making profit but contributing to the social good of the communities in which it operates.
This explains why it has over the years invested heavily in health and education, two of the core focal areas of the company’s corporate social responsibility activities.
For instance, the company assisted in putting up an infirmary for the Tema Manhean Senior High/Technical School while the old structure was being renovated. First aid, medical consumables and equipment were provided to the school, as well.
Others include renovation of the Tema Polyclinic old mini theatre. In addition to several packages of PPEs donated, the company also provided the Polyclinic with a 6000-litre water storage tank.
Another health facility that has benefited from the company’s benevolence, is the Holy Family Hospital in Berekum, Bono Region, which was supplied with various hospital equipment, including X-ray and Computed Tomography (CT) scan machines.
Meanwhile, in the community of Biadan near Berekum, a new clinic is being built with support from Labianca.
“Labianca Company Limited sources the best quality of products from around the globe. It has continuously been investing in both personnel and infrastructure. All these are geared toward positioning the company as the prime frozen food distributor in the country. We want to serve our customers a better experience,” Mr. Gadegbeku concluded.
