The 48 years of the HAB company are celebrated with more projections: territorial expansion and the construction of a fertilization plant.
This was reflected by Pablo, Gastón and Analía, the brothers in charge of the emblematic firm that Héctor A. Bertone, his father, created on July 1 and became a pioneer in the sale of agrochemicals in the area.
The graduate in Business Administration, the agronomist and the architect, today at the head of HAB, spoke with a chronicler from El Diario Rural to summarize part of that history, the values and the vision that sustain and sustain it.
From the beginning
“My father started with the help of my grandfather, who lent him the car and was the guarantor”, Pablo Bertone reviewed, referring to the first sales, in 1972 and shortly before he founded, “together with agronomists”, the mega-company that currently has a staff of 130 workers, with ten branches plus the central house on Calle Caudillos Federales 1750. “The pillars of sale are in the advice, that is why today we have 20 engineers in Agronomy in charge of what commercial ”, affirmed the directors. In the same sense, they recalled that “the vision” of their father “was and is to sell remedies for plants”, while they clarified that “any use of a remedy is bad if it is misused and can damage health”, “that is why we value always advice ”.
The roles
When asked about how they coexist as professionals and brothers in the same company, they shared that “they are different roles and the family is a plus”, although they noted that this bond “is above” and helps to overcome various situations. When asked how the progress or growth of the firm is enjoyed, they combined phrases and admitted: “We are more to do”, we have a very high bar “,” we are very demanding “, so they agreed that” we are looking for the way to enhance our virtues and abilities ”, and they ranked that“ it is always about rescuing the values that they instilled in us ”. Along the same lines, they stated as an advantage of brothers, that “transparency does not even have to be remembered among us, it is intrinsic.” “That was transmitted to us by our father, along with a work format”, they recalled, about who left the company in their hands in 2005 to dedicate himself to tambera production, an undertaking that he baptized as “Alfredo José”, “the name of our two grandparents , paternal and maternal, so the familiar is always present ”, they pointed out.
The anniversary
For Analía, Gastón and Pablo, this new anniversary in pandemic finds the item as an essential activity within the framework of the agri-food chain, with fewer restrictions, which is why it was affected negatively, but also positively, as it accelerated the times for teleworking, and it was possible to continue working, attending to the cases of mothers regarding this modality ”, although they also noted that“ presence gives you things that virtuality does not offer you and the producer likes to see your face, look into your eyes … ”. “That is why (presence) is so valuable and necessary,” they said. They valued that “international prices and the good weather of the year also influenced this bonanza for the sector” and they assumed that “in other conditions, the view would probably be different.” In any case, they remarked that “there were changes in this pandemic, lessons learned that allowed us to emphasize our commitment to the company, making each one feel part of it, and this was reflected in this last time.”
Expansion and investment
In the further expansion plan, the company will open three new branches in the province of Córdoba, “which is always where we aim,” they said. There will be three new locations where the HAB lines will be set up.
“It could be said that we are celebrating with more investments,” Analía risked, and together they expanded that the firm acquired a 7-hectare property in Ramón J. Cárcano, right on the side of National Route 9, which was the stockpile of AFA (Agricultores Federados Argentinos), which required a significant investment.
The HAB (seed production process) seedbed is already in operation at the site and work is being done on the construction of a fertilization plant. “We are investing in new ventures,” they trusted.
Joint work
Good practices
Regarding how the company policy and the lines of work that are currently being developed by the provincial state are combined, such as Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Pablo Bertone mentioned that he chairs the Business Chamber of Distribution of Agrochemicals, Seeds and Related Products ( C), which works together with the Federation that brings together all the chambers at the national level, and it also works within the framework of the GAP network, which is under the orbit of the Ministry of Agronomy, Livestock and Fisheries of the province of Córdoba . He argued that the Chamber that he presides has also presented a project of Good Deposit Practices (about two years ago), which was postponed by the Covid-19 pandemic and they hope to be launched as soon as the situation allows it.
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