Reflecting on the longevity of Carmelo Abela, one of Malta's oldest food importation companies now in its 92nd year of existence, CEO Maria Magro attributes its enduring success to the wisdom and experience passed down through each successive generation of the family business.
“The company has greatly benefitted as it has passed down through four generations of the Abela family,” she says. “Each generation has started from the ground up, working their way from the stores and delivery roles, before taking on more responsibility. This hands-on experience has given each of them a deep understanding of the business as well as the challenges our employees face, ensuring they’ve been willing to learn and adapt with the times.”
Carmelo Abela top management celebrating company's 90th anniversary
Founded in 1932 by Carmelo and his wife Giovanna who began distributing food in war-damaged Valletta, the entrepreneur went on to invest in his own storage and distribution facilities in 1950. The next generation expanded into wholesaling, securing premises in Valletta and acquiring their first truck and employees to buy in bulk and resell. As the business passed to the second, they introduced food imports, building a strong portfolio of brands by contacting clients overseas and forging many long-lasting client and supplier relationships. It was the third generation that diversified further, adding a catering division to supply restaurants, hotels, and other food establishments with bulk raw materials for cooking and baking for everything from fast-food to fine dining.
Now with the fourth generation firmly established in the business, Carmelo Abela is continuing to evolve with fresh ideas. Cain Abela, representing this new wave of leadership, shares the vision. “As part of the younger generation, we're committed to integrating technology into our operations. We want to implement systems that handle the routine tasks, freeing our team up to focus on adding more value for our clients and the business,” Cain explains, adding: “Recently, we've set up advanced systems to better track trends and product sales, ensuring we maintain optimal stock levels and improve our efficiency. This is really helping us deliver a better service to our clients.”
Carmelo Abela's first storage facilities
Operating in both import and distribution, Carmelo Abela has faced significant challenges in recent years, particularly with the pandemic and shipping delays due to ongoing geopolitical tensions in Europe. So how has the company managed to successfully serve its clients amid these difficulties?
Cain credits the company’s resilience to a hands-on family approach. “The family is deeply involved in every aspect of the business and once we make a decision, we pull together as one,” he says. “The pandemic blindsided us, as it did with many, and with hotels and restaurants closed, at one point we ended up overstocked with thousands of kilos of cheese. But we acted creatively—we donated a lot to charity and sold at reduced prices. We didn't want to waste good products and saw an opportunity to help others during a tough time. I believe our clients respected how we handled the situation, and this helped us emerge stronger.”
Carmelo Abela Marketing truck
Another crucial reason for Carmelo Abela's strong client relationships is their responsiveness to customer needs. CEO Maria Magro elaborates, “We are constantly in discussion with our clients. If they have specific requests for products or ingredients, we are certainly open to evaluating their potential for our range. In recent years, we’ve noticed that clients prefer easier alternatives that streamline their food handling processes, like buying pre-sliced hams instead of preparing them in-house. There’s also been growing interest in organic and natural foods, all of which we are catering to. While we may not always be the cheapest, we provide premium products at great value because we’ve increasingly recognised that our clients appreciate quality.”
Cain adds to this point. “We aim to offer comprehensive solutions for our clients. For instance, when it comes to pizza and burger dishes, we supply all the necessary ingredients. This means our clients don’t need to shop around. They can get everything they need directly from us, which simplifies things for them,” he explains, going on to highlight the strength of their sales team in bolstering the company’s reputation: “We’re also proud to have one of the best sales teams on the island. They go above and beyond, and we are even happy to deliver on weekends if needed, to provide that level of extra service.”
Second generation family leadership at Carmelo Abela
As an employer, Carmelo Abela takes pride in fostering an inclusive work culture rooted in the Abela’s family values, providing ample opportunities for its 100-strong workforce to grow and advance in their careers. “We're fortunate to have a low turnover rate, which I believe speaks to the respect and trust we place in our people, and they in our leadership team,” Maria explains. “We invest heavily in hands-on training and ensure our team is equipped with the knowledge it needs to operate our latest technologies and systems. We also empower individuals to take ownership of projects, so that they can become experts and share their knowledge with their colleagues. This approach has helped us maintain a stable workforce and steady teams.”
As part of its commitment to career development, the CEO explains the company has also been known to sponsor employees seeking to enhance their skills in specific areas. “This support enables them to tackle new projects and responsibilities with greater confidence. We believe in investing in our team's growth and empowering them to reach their full potential.”
Company celebrations on the 90th Anniversary of Carmelo Abela
Carmelo Abela is also taking a proactive approach to its ESG obligations in light of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which requires large entities to produce a sustainability report for financial years starting in 2024. Maria explains: “Though we're a smaller company and CSRD is not imposed on us, we still felt it necessary to prepare for reporting so that we can operate transparently with banks and the business community. It's a challenge for a company our size, but we've formed committees, engaged consultants, and are participating in ESG events to learn and better prepare ourselves.”
The company’s ESG strategy is poised to play an even bigger role in Carmelo Abela's next chapter as it looks towards moving into its new premises, which are currently in development. The new headquarters will bring together all its teams, currently spread across three locations, to streamline logistics and foster greater synergy among departments. It is also set to include eco-friendly features like electric car chargers and solar panels.
We're all very excited about the upcoming move, which we're aiming to happen in three years' time,” shares Cain eagerly. “While it's still a bit down the road, we're planning meticulously to ensure it sets us up towards future growth. We're focused on enhancing our operations, providing our team with an improved workspace, and expanding our product range through larger storage facilities, all in our efforts to boost our client service even further. We have plenty of intriguing ideas in the pipeline, and we're eager to seize the opportunities that lie ahead.
Main Image:
