Renato Calabrese is CEO of Healtion Group, one of the top Italian groups in healthy food that brings together long-standing brands in the sector such as Probios, Fior di Loto, Baule Volante, ViviBio, Zer% and La Finestra sul Cielo. We speak with him about the evolution of the organic consumer, the group’s ambition in Spain and the role of its brands in the future of healthy eating.
How would you define Healtion Group’s positioning within the European organic sector today?
Healtion is positioned as a leading player in the healthy food sector. For us, organic represents a necessary condition to guarantee high quality standards and uphold a broader promise: to develop food solutions that respond to contemporary nutritional needs —from free-from to plant-based, as well as functional products— while respecting our three fundamental pillars: nutrition, wellbeing and sustainability.
In this sense, our goal is to consolidate an increasingly relevant presence in the European healthy food landscape, highlighting our industrial expertise, innovation and ability to respond to constantly evolving nutritional needs.
«The future of the sector lies in the balance between gastronomic experience and nutritional aspects»
Healtion brings together different brands and structures. What is the strategic logic that articulates the group, and what do you want to build at European level?
The logic is to increasingly offer an integrated ecosystem, capable of directly controlling the entire value chain and strengthening our brands, which have been benchmarks in conscious eating for almost 50 years. Each brand maintains its own positioning and specific offer, while the group provides industrial infrastructure, distribution capacity and innovation to better serve the market.
At European level, we want to become a benchmark in healthy eating, combining organic growth, strategic acquisitions and international development.
You are a benchmark in the Italian organic market. What lessons from that market are truly transferable to other European countries?
The Italian consumer today looks for products that combine quality, taste and nutritional value, with growing attention to transparency and the simplicity of ingredients. In this context, organic continues to represent an important point of reference, but it is integrated into a broader vision of the concept of wellbeing, which also includes functional aspects and specific dietary needs.
This is a dynamic that we also consider relevant at European level: demand is growing for products capable of offering concrete benefits and responding to different lifestyles and dietary needs, without giving up on taste. From our point of view, the future of the sector lies precisely in the balance between gastronomic experience and nutritional aspects, and represents a solid and replicable approach.
What is your ambition in Spain and what role do you want to play in the development of the market?
Spain is a strategic, dynamic market with great growth potential for our Group. Our ambition is to be a reliable and recognised partner in the development of the healthy segment, contributing industrial expertise, innovation capacity and a portfolio of distinctive brands. We want to contribute to the evolution of the market, making healthy eating more accessible and part of everyday life.
Probios is one of your flagship brands. What makes it relevant today within the specialised organic channel?
Probios is a leading brand in the sector because it has never stopped evolving. It was born as one of the pioneering organic brands in Italy, but today it is much more: a reality capable of combining new nutritional needs with a concrete, innovative and tasty offer.
In the specialised channel, and increasingly also in the conventional channel, this is fundamental: the consumer seeks expertise, reliability and real solutions. More than 75% of Probios’ offer responds to specific needs —from products with no added sugars to protein options, gluten free and low nickel— without ever losing sight of taste and quality. This ability to combine history and innovation is what keeps the brand at the centre of the market.
Which consumer is Fior di Loto aimed at?
Fior di Loto is aimed at consumers who choose valuable foods every day and believe in sustainability and quality without compromise. Since 1972, the brand has offered natural and sustainable products, promoting a healthy, balanced lifestyle designed for everyone.
Each product is the result of a constant commitment to sourcing quality raw materials, avoiding waste and enhancing what truly matters. This is how this brand transforms everyday eating into a lifestyle.
Founded in 1987, Baule Volante was one of the pioneering brands in Italy. How does it remain relevant without losing its identity?
Baule Volante is based on values such as authenticity, the quality of raw materials and the bond with the territory. The brand continues to tell the story of Italian tradition by enhancing craftsmanship and the supply chain, but with ever greater attention to contemporary needs, from packaging and sustainability to new consumption occasions.
How is La Finestra sul Cielo evolving? We see that in Spain it has a very large product catalogue. What can you tell us about the brand?
La Finestra sul Cielo is a brand with a very strong identity, linked to the plant-based world and to “clean” eating. Today it is evolving while maintaining this rigour, but making its offer more accessible and broader.
Its strength is consistency: essential ingredients, clean recipes and a transparent approach. It is a brand that connects with a highly conscious consumer who is sensitive to sustainability issues.
La Finestra sul Cielo is part of Healtion Group’s brand portfolio, together with other historic brands from Italian healthy eating.
What is changing in the organic consumer?
Consumers are increasingly informed and demanding. Organic is no longer enough on its own: today, people look for products that offer concrete benefits, that are transparent, sustainable and suited to specific needs, and that are also satisfying from a taste perspective.
Segments such as free-from, plant-based and functional food are growing. We could say that today we have moved from an ideological choice to a functional and conscious choice.
«Today we have moved from an ideological choice to a functional and conscious choice»
On a personal level, what strategic decisions have been most important in recent years, and what does working in the organic sector mean to you?
The most important decisions have been related to the integration of industrial production and to building a group with a clear vision: to promote a culture of food as a tool for wellbeing for people and for the planet. The entry of Agreen Capital and the acquisition process have been fundamental in accelerating this development.
Working in this sector means contributing in a concrete way to people’s wellbeing, but also taking on a responsibility: offering products that are truly consistent with what they promise, in terms of quality, transparency and environmental impact.
Author: Oriol Urritia, Co-Editor and Political Scientist.
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