We chatted with Fernando Lopez, Agronomist and founding partner of Vivero San Nicolás Vid de Wine Concept S.A., a nursery with GLOBALG.A.P. certification.

What is the history of the company? Where are they located?

The beginning of the company was in 2008, when after having graduated from Agronomist Engineers, Víctor Barroso and I promised to start the nursery activity in the Junín facilities, where there was a flower nursery business, which was shared for the first few years. until the grapevine business gained momentum of its own. The offices are located in Junín, where the grafting workshop and the forcing chambers are also located. This is also where all the tests of the research and development department are carried out. (R&D)

What led you to work in the field?

The idea of ​​being involved in the wine chain was inherited, my father has a degree in oenology, at that time I was a Jr. Agronomist Engineer in a winery and had gone through an internship in French nurseries in 2005 with high expectations of one day being able to dedicate myself fully Víctor had the need to start a project related to the environment and after a coffee we managed to reach an agreement that forged us as partners in the venture to this day.

What services do you offer?

In addition to the production of vine plants, we advise all our clients and assist them in all their concerns related to planting a vineyard. We prepare budgets of all kinds, from the purchase of wood to the necessary labor, we advise them on the irrigation system that best suits them and we guide them in the possibility of taking credits when available, among other things. We visit their farms to guarantee that the entire project is on the right track.

What products do you offer?

The nursery produces vine plants, we have more than 50 varieties available for different types of markets, wine, raisins, mosteras and fresh consumption. The plants are all bare root, both grafted and bare root.

How important is it to be certified with GLOBALG.A.P?

The most important thing has been the change that it has generated in the people who are part of the work team, the ability to communicate and understand each other better has managed to set new goals, some of which might not have been possible if we had not gone through this implementation and certification process. ; has brought us together as a work group, we began to be a team that shares the same concerns and can overcome any obstacle.

In the commercial part, our clients feel a reinforced support from what they already had, and it gives them new guarantees when it comes to trusting the nursery.

How was the path to obtain the certification?

Along the way we went through and assimilating the changes that were coming, the meetings, training, overtime work for the entire team, planning times, works, understanding… among many things. As we were meeting our goals, the feeling of satisfaction and the pride of having achieved it made it wonderful, a path of continuous improvement. The process began by hiring the Agronomist Engineer Gerardo Ontanilla specialized in Implementation of Quality Management Systems and Food Safety, who He was guiding and advising us on this journey.

What prompted you to become certified?

The need to generate a change, to improve what we were doing, to systematize processes, to differentiate ourselves to be up to the level of what the industry, the wine market, requires, to guarantee and demonstrate management control.

What other certifications do you have?

We are in the process of certifying virus-free plants with INASE. We are carrying out the B Evaluation to be able to certify as a B Company, triple impact with an emphasis on environmental and social aspects.

What is the importance of them?

Ratify the change for improvement that we are generating, that it be sustained over time and that it is for the development of both the nursery staff and the finished product.

How is the process of growing vine seedlings?

The planting process continues to be the traditional, mechanical-manual one, although today we also have automated plantations, they are not the most widely used. The technique consists of a correct preparation of the soil, an adequate supply of water on the optimal date, which according to the area could be said to be September as the ideal. After planting comes the process of development and formation of what will be a vineyard in production.

What characteristics do the different varieties possess?

Each variety has a certain intrinsic potential that will allow it to adapt to each market, be it high-end wines, mid-range, musts, raisins, fresh consumption. Something that must be recognized is that some producers develop certain varieties in areas that provide something more than the intrinsic differences. The same variety can determine different results depending on the place of production and the production method.

Could you give us some technical advice?

To choose a certain variety, you must know its history and, above all, the possibility of selling it in the market, but I always recommend that you also let yourself be carried away by the variety that most attracts you, the one that brings back memories, the one that you want to know better. This is how one ends up becoming attached to the fruit of defined work.

What are your ways of contact?

Today you can find us in all media: telephone, mail, wsp, Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, web page, YouTube, among the most common.

What future goals does the company have?

Continue on the path we are on, improve the development of the people and the environment involved in a conscious and permanent way. Continue training and achieve export quality, being recognized for the product and service we provide. How is the nursery team formed? The established organizational chart has a board of directors and 3 departments: operations, administrative and commercial. Victor Barroso is Operations Manager and President of the company, Johanna Castro is Administration Manager, Fernando López Commercial and Marketing Manager, Ing. Pamela Federici in the Sales and Consulting sector, Matías Perez Field Operations Manager, Armando Ruiz Farm Manager of certified virus-free plants.

I name some of the people who have been part of this team for more than 10 years, together with the rest of the young and entrepreneurial team that keep this company in the process of development and continuous improvement.

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