Virtually 10% of Unica Fresh’s volume is ‘eco’. Last year they marketed 17 million kilos and they plan to continue growing
The demand for ecological produce continues to rise and large companies such as Unica Fresh have adapted their offer to supply their clientele. Last year in this segment the marketing made up approximately 10% of the company’s total business, with 17 million kilos of fruit and vegetables, a figure that will increase during this campaign and that will grow “significantly” over the next few years, according to Diego Calderón, Head of Business Development at Unica. As opposed to comments that can be heard in some companies in the sector, Calderón states that “there is no oversupply.” Such is the case that “at certain times we often don’t have enough produce to attend to the demand for eco fruit and vegetables.” And the fact is that retailers are demanding “reliability and volume” and this is the reason they are tending to focus their buying on companies such as Unica Fresh.
In order to be able to supply them, the company from Almeria is redirecting its strategy and has decided “to reduce the range and concentrate on certain produce to be able to offer more volume.” Accordingly, cucumbers are taking on greater importance, with 12 months of sales and a greater weight in the eco segment. The recent incorporation of Frutas Segura y García as a member of the Unica Group cooperative has made the growth of this reference possible.
More produce, more health
Unica continues its expansion process and last October it informed of the addition of a cooperative from Cadiz, Virgen del Rocío, as a new member. This operation will bring new references to its range (carrot, sweet potato, white courgette, potato…). Another of the company’s new developments is its line of healthy snacks: Buen Oh!, based on dehydrated fruit (apple, pineapple, sweet pepper and tomato). These snacks were presented at Fruit Attraction and they will have a prominent position on the stand at Fruit Logistica (Hall 18 A-05).
In line with its philosophy of producing and marketing fruit and vegetables that provide health to consumers, Unica has presented its new initiative to promote good eating habits in society, called ‘El Plato Saludable’ or ‘The Healthy Eating Plate’ (based on Harvard University’s project ‘The Healthy Eating Plate’). A proposal of ten menus where fresh vegetables are the main ingredients accompanied by healthy proteins and wholemeal cereals. All of them will be served at the restaurant in the Edificio Pitágoras del PITA, where its head offices are located.
