The company is adapting to Spanish demand for produce such as yellow peaches
Haciendas Bio was set up as an ecological company aimed at the export market, but, little by little, it has extended its market share in Spain through its brand Biovivo. And at the close of this year, national sales will make up 10% of the total, as Silvia Llamas, the company’s Marketing Manager, explained to Fruit Today. “Our aim is to increase sales in Spain, but this doesn’t mean we are going to reduce our foreign sales. We will maintain these and even increase the exported volumes because demand is a ever rising.” Its growth plan already contemplates this increase and is behind the expansion in farms the company has been undertaking in recent years.
Within its strategy for the home market, the company is backing differentiation. “We are a company that is adapting to Spanish demand for bio produce,” Llamas comments. “Organic producers are usually more focused on exports, and they do not contemplate varieties or references that are exclusively requested on the national market, such as yellow peaches or Lamuyo peppers, products that are very popular.” This differentiation involves an “extra effort,” since a certain number of hectares must be exclusively dedicated to this national product line, but this is being compensated by the sales.
During the latest edition of Fruit Attraction, the company presented new products such as mangos, pomegranates and leafy vegetables (lettuce and celery). “The products in greatest demand continue to be avocados and bananas,” without forgetting stone fruit, a category where they are a reference and where their extensive calendar stands out. “We have production for longer than other rival companies and we manage this by complementing plantations in different regions.”
In fact, amongst Haciendas Bio’s new developments is the incorporation of new production farms that allow the company, in addition to extending its calendar, to develop new varieties aimed at improving the quality in products such as melons and watermelons.
