The company from Valencia Almacenes Lázaro is completely in line with the 2030 Agenda and is strongly committed to Spanish production
Cristina Lázaro, Business Development and Marketing Manager, is in charge of carrying out company policies that are inclusive and respectful to the members of the team and to society and the environment.
The company, which is 100% family-owned and run, is committed to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals, approved by the United Nations, putting greater emphasis on the ones that have a more significant positive impact on their activity in the agrifood industry, such as Nos. 2, 12 and 15.
With regard to the SDG No. 12, responsible consumption and production, “Lázaro is perfectly in line with this aim and its different goals; we carry out sustainable actions that encourage and promote responsible consumption that is environmentally-friendly, applying zero food waste policies in our factory and placing innovation at the service of the environment and responsible consumption.”
We fully identify with the SDGs Nos. 2 and 15, because the land and, specifically, farming, forms the foundations of our origins, our activity and our way of life. Therefore, amongst other actions, we promotion national production; we apply quality policies that guarantee food safety, we use good practices in the growing of our products and we contribute our grain of sand to achieving “zero hunger” through our food donation campaigns to associations in our local environment.”
New, more sustainable packaging
A few weeks ago, through its brand Freshnatur, the company launched onto the market its first biodegradable, plant origin, packaging, made with paper, bamboo mesh, water-based dyes and plant-based glues, which is recyclable in the container for paper. The packaging has the Freshtech 4.0 technology stamp, thanks to which it guarantees the product traceability from farm to fork. Additionally, it proposes product conservation methods to prevent waste.
At present, it is available in the 2.5 kilo format, but “our aim is to be able to cover the entire category,” Cristina Lázaro comments.
And on another note, Lázaro has made an important commitment to Spanish and their own crops, as a driving force for generating wealth in rural areas. The company also has special interest in reaching agreements with Valencian farmers, as after 75 years linked to farming, it knows them well.
“Our current aim involves increasing the national cover of potatoes, from Andalusia to Murcia, passing through the Valencian Community, Castilla la Mancha and Castilla y León. In fact, this year we have only prepared the reference three-kilo bags of French potatoes during a three-month period and we are now starting to work the land for the January 2022 harvest. “The truth is that my father always had winter crops, but since 2015 our commitment has been set in strengthening and increasing the presence of Spanish produce all year long.”
A pioneer in technology
Technological development has always been one of the company’s main challenges, and it was a pioneer in a project where Siemens and Microsoft connected their programmes for the first time in 2008.
“We were creating a 4.0 industry without knowing it, because the concept had yet to be created, although internally it was known as ‘the 21st century factory’. This project brought us total reliability regarding the information and an exhaustively controlled traceability. We have never had a mistake in the labelling.”
The company, although very well-known and focussed on modern distribution, also has business lines in the export field and in seed sales, in addition to having a stand at Mercovasa, serving the more traditional retailers and the Horeca channel.
