Scaling up with flexible finance solutions

Spain is king in olive oil with roughly 60% of global production. More often than not, you’ll find the Pieralisi brand on the decanter and centrifuge separators that transform ripe olives into silky olive oil. Pieralisi is an innovator in business and finance.

Growing in volatile markets
Pieralisi is the global leader in olive oil centrifugation, and has been working closely with DLL in Spain since 2013. First in olive oil, now in wine. “Governed by the weather and subsidies, both are volatile markets that require a lot of inventory and speed,” says Daniel Escalada, Financial Manager at Pieralisi. “Our partnership with DLL is actually helping us sell more equipment.”

Flexible financing for equipment leasing
One of the first things DLL proposed was a flexible equipment finance program supported with public subsidies. “Pieralisi already offered the best technology and service value,” says José Ignacio Llinares, Account Manager, Hard Assets Group DLL. “But what they truly needed were more flexible finance solutions that could be easily and quickly adjusted to their customers’ cash flow.”

“Not only customer cash flow, but also commercial finance,” adds Escalada. “DLL helps us keep a high level of stock so we can deliver more quickly to our clients. Almost all our inventory is ready-to-deliver. When the government commits to a grant, they want to see that money put immediately to work, especially around September when the olive harvest begins.”

Integrated sales pitches
The Pieralisi-DLL relationship extends beyond finance solutions into marketing and sales. Together, they developed Hire Purchase with two annual payments and 0% interest rate and operative leases that include equipment maintenance and insurance. This is because, in the olive oil sector, including the finance solution into the sales pitch is crucial. “The equipment is expensive, and sometimes it’s better to lease than to buy, and vice-versa,” says Llinares. “It is our job to help Pieralisi’s clients understand where their financial advantages lie.”

Turning oil into wine
With DLL’s help, Pieralisi is also entering another famous Spanish industry: wine. Moving into the higher-end wine industry means a completely new range of equipment and a new approach to financing. “With the more expensive equipment and higher markups, we can explore more interesting financial solutions, especially with equipment leasing,” says Escalada.

Food and financing expertise
“It certainly helps that many of Pieralisi’s olive oil customers also work in the wine sector,” adds Llinares. “Pieralisi brings its expert reputation to wine, and their wine customers know that their broad range of finance solutions is also part of the deal.”

“DLL’s approach is entirely new to us,” says Escalada. “Essentially, they help us enter new markets by explaining the financial conditions both to our staff and our main customers.”