As one of the reference companies in the tomato world, Bonnysa is committed to marking the difference and it is introducing new crops.
Fruit Today euromagazine talked to Teresa Brotons, sales manager at the company from Alicante.
As a renowned company in the tomato world, how has the evolution and marketing of this product played out in recent years?
Tomatoes have formed part of our ‘core business’ since 1956, the year our company was founded. Since then, there has been an important evolution both in growing methods and in the varieties demanded by the retail business, as well as by the end customers. The most traditional fruit have handed over the leading role to other varieties with high added value.
Currently, and owing to the significant evolution in varieties, which ones are Bonnysa opting to grow?
We test over 400 varieties a year and we always try to be innovative in terms of crops. Currently the most successful references include cherry tomatoes (plum, vine and coloured), as well as vine tomatoes; all of these within a more than reasonable demand. With this portfolio, we are obtaining a significant feedback from the retail chains.
Has COVID-19 meant any alterations in the sales programmes for Bonnysa?
COVID-19 arrived at a key moment in the campaign, when we were on the season’s home stretch. The extra logistical costs, the fact that clients chose products from their own countries to support their economies and some see-sawing sales logically affected us. Now we have reached a time of some stability, which allows us to be optimistic.
Surface area for tomatoes continues to drop throughout Spain, is Bonnysa following this trend?
Farming in Spain is experiencing a delicate moment, particularly for crops where labour costs have an important impact on the price, such as the case of tomatoes.
For this reason, Bonnysa has been undergoing a transformation process, specialising only in tomato varieties with high added value. And, on the other hand, gaining momentum with other fruit such as bananas and papayas, from the Canary Islands, and recently with seedless grapes from Mainland Spain.
How are foreign markets behaving at the moment?
There is a great deal of expectation about the evolution of the situation. Our traditional export markets (Germany, the Netherlands or Scandinavia) are continuing with their normal purchase practices, but although the British market, with which we have always worked, continues to be fluid, it is still overshadowed by Brexit, and this market will evolve in one direction or another depending on whether a deal is reached or not.
What are the company’s latest developments? (In addition to joining Europlátano)
This will be a year of changes because we have gone back to growing grapes after 25 years and we expect to have a relevant volume for next season. All of this with aromatic, seedless, extra-sweet varieties.
The convenience food range will also evolve with new formats and new products that we have been working on for some time now. In this campaign we have seen an increase in sales in this category and we believe that it will have a progressive evolution in the new normality.
Furthermore, for Bonnysa, bananas make up a strategic line, which we are using to consolidate ourselves as producers and marketers.
