F&P Gruppo - Gallo Rice Introduction F&P Gruppo is a privately held company specializing in the value-added rice industry that has been a family-owned operation for five generations. The Gallo brand and F&P Gruppo's distinctive rooster logo are used consistently across all product lines and markets. F&P Group has extensive international operations and its products are sold throughout Europe and South America. Wholly owned subsidiaries and manufacturing facilities are located in Argentina, Italy, Germany and Uruguay. In addition, F&P Group also has wholly owned subsidiaries in Brazil and Switzerland and a joint venture in the United Kingdom. The company's stated goal was to achieve market share leadership in an increasingly segmented industry through the production and marketing of differentiated, higher-margin products. Their success to date is the result of many contributing factors. F&P Gruppo is one of the few companies to be involved in the entire rice production process: from cultivation and milling to packaging and marketing. They have been nicknamed “the rice specialists” and have the competitive advantage of owning the entire value chain. Rice is the only food sector they operate in, so they are very focused and have a high level of expertise. This led to a deep understanding of how to market to their customer base. An above-average commitment to research and development has resulted in a competitive advantage in the creation of new and improved strains of high-quality rice, the development of proprietary manufacturing processes and improved packaging. A company objective that demonstrates the importance of research and development for F&P Group is that 35% – 40% of the total gross margin comes from products that were not middle of paper...it would seem ice to be a good company to use as example of the appropriate way to approach marketing in foreign countries. Gallo Rice has been aided in its international expansion by the fact that it has kept an eye on the interests of consumers in the respective countries in which it has chosen to operate. Rather than releasing a single, homogeneous product line worldwide, it has done a good job of adapting to the needs of local consumers. Gallo has also done a good job of tracking the individual actions of major competitors in the respective markets in which they operate. By keeping abreast of varying consumer expectations in individual countries, as well as keeping tabs on the actions of local competitors, Gallo Rice has created a strategic advantage over its competitors that will continue to help them in the future..