We speak with Virginia Vera, CIO and Director of Technology and Innovation at Frit Ravich

A new INDPULSTALK, the conversation space promoted by INDPULS, features Virginia Vera, CIO and Director of Technology and Innovation at Frit Ravich. A founding partner company of INDPULS, Frit Ravich manufactures potato chips, snacks and nuts under its own brand, and also distributes leading food brands.

With a clear commitment to digitalization, technology and innovation, Frit Ravich has promoted a new way of working in which data, commercial mobility, governance and digital culture play a fundamental role in its growth and competitiveness model.

In this conversation, Virginia explains how the company has turned digital transformation into a continuous evolution, where technology, data, artificial intelligence, sustainability and talent converge to shape the future of the organization. A look at the challenges, the tools deployed and the strategic vision of this family-owned company founded in 1963.

Frit Ravich has undergone a profound digital and cultural transformation in recent years. What were the main challenges you faced during this change, and how did you ensure it was not only a technological project but also one involving people and processes?

To build a scalable and sustainable business, in 2016 Frit Ravich launched the company’s transformation process, called Butterfly.

Butterfly expresses the will to evolve to a higher stage without losing the essence of who we are. Like a butterfly, it focuses on equipping people with greater and better capabilities that allow them to adapt and face new challenges in the environment.

The Butterfly strategy is structured around six pillars: Culture, Customer Experience, Consumer Experience, Value Chain, Innovation and Smart Data, led by sponsors from the Executive Committee.

Frit Ravich has been one of seven companies selected worldwide to participate in SAP’s Nitro project, integrating generative artificial intelligence into talent management. What have been the main learnings when applying AI in such a human-centered area as people management, and how do you see the next step in the use of artificial intelligence or advanced technologies within your business?

The main learnings have been closely linked to understanding where the use of generative artificial intelligence truly adds value in Frit Ravich’s talent management -from attraction to development- and at which stages it tangibly improves the employee experience. One of the key points has been carefully deciding when to activate each functionality: it is not about deploying technology for the sake of deploying it, but about ensuring that people can make the most of the tools already in their hands.

As for the next step, we do not see it only in the field of talent, but also at the business level. AI and advanced technologies offer us the opportunity to anticipate needs, improve decision-making, optimize processes and identify new opportunities across all areas.

Looking ahead to the future of the snacking and food sector, where digitalization, data and sustainability are becoming increasingly relevant, how do you envision Frit Ravich’s role in this ecosystem, and how will collaborative innovation play a role in this evolution?

At Frit Ravich, we have long understood collaboration -both internal and external- as an essential element for growth and evolution. Not only in innovation, but in every aspect of our day-to-day work. We strongly believe in the power of building networks and ecosystems, which is why we are part of INDPULS, as well as other forums and associations that allow us to learn, share and co-create.

For Frit Ravich, the corporate culture Feel Frit is a driver for talent development and for ensuring that technology and innovation truly serve people. How does this translate into the company’s daily operations?

For Frit Ravich, Feel Frit is not a slogan; it is the way we make decisions and manage our day-to-day work. When we implement a new technology or redefine a process, the question is not only “will we gain efficiency?”, but also “how will this help people grow, work better and contribute more value?”. Technology is a lever, but the focus is on developing the talent of the people who are part of Frit Ravich.

In daily practice, this takes shape through several tangible actions:

• Continuous support: staying close to teams, listening, adapting and helping them take the step towards new tools or new ways of working.
• Skills-based development: we focus on identifying and strengthening skills, enabling people to grow within the organization and expand their employability.
• Meaningful conversations: we promote a culture of feedback and constructive dialogue, where professional growth is addressed continuously, not only at specific moments.
• Purpose-driven innovation: initiatives such as digitalization or the introduction of AI are approached from a very human perspective: how can we simplify repetitive tasks? How can we free up time so people can focus on what truly adds value?

Feel Frit combines essence and change: we respect our history and our values while evolving to remain competitive. This coherence ensures that innovation is not perceived as a threat, but as a shared opportunity to grow together without leaving anyone behind.

In Frit Ravich’s industrial and distribution context, you have also digitalized the relationship with customers through commercial mobility. What impact has this digitalization had on operational efficiency and service personalization, and what challenges do you still aim to address?

Our ultimate goal, and the direction we are working toward, is to provide our clients with value in their businesses through our market intelligence. For this reason, we have been working on initiatives such as equipping our sales force with mobility tools and information that allow them to deliver a more consultative sales approach. We have also developed an app that serves as an additional digital touchpoint with our clients, which we continue to evolve in order to improve the personalization of their experience with us.

You recently participated, together with INDPULS, in the Innovation Mission to Silicon Valley 2025 organized by ACCIÓ, a strategic initiative that brings a group of Catalan companies and startups to San Francisco to explore and connect directly with the North American innovation and disruption ecosystem. What learnings do you take away from this experience, and how might they inspire the way Frit Ravich approaches innovation and its digital strategy in the coming years?

One of the main learnings -as I mentioned earlier- is that collaboration between business, education and public administration is a key lever. Being open to the ecosystem is essential if we truly want to foster innovation.

However, what struck me the most -and where I believe we still have a long way to go, both as a company and as a society- is how the culture of failure is perceived. There, the culture of failure is not a slogan or a motivational statement; it is a real, everyday and accepted practice. If we want to accelerate innovation, we need to incorporate this approach into our own reality and daily work.

This experience reaffirmed for me that the future of innovation at Frit Ravich lies in a more open model, with more connections, more iteration and continuous learning. We must allow ourselves to explore, test, make mistakes and try again. Only in this way will we be able to evolve our strategy and remain relevant in an environment that is transforming at great speed.

What does being part of INDPULS mean to you, and what value does this collaboration bring to Frit Ravich?

For me, being part of INDPULS means inspiration, collaboration, sharing and learning. It represents the essence of working within an integrated ecosystem, where each company contributes its own identity and way of doing things, while we all move forward with a common goal, enriching each other through complementary perspectives.

This interview is part of the INDPULSTALKS series, our space for conversation with the INDPULS community, where we address a variety of topics related to the industrial sector, innovation, sustainability, and management, among other relevant areas.