Earmur is completing its range of ‘alternative’ citrus fruits with this gourmet product
Its exotic flavour, its pearled shape and the exclusivity it brings to dishes all make this into an attractive fruit. Citrus caviar or finger lime, still unknown by an immense majority of consumers, is aimed at the delicatessen segment and for this reason, it is not surprising that many restaurateurs visited Earmur’s stand at the last edition of Fruit Attraction to find out about it. With good reason the company from Murcia is the first Spanish company that has closed the entire production and marketing cycle with this product. “We have been working on this project for three years and this is the first campaign with a real production,” states sales manager Nieves Albacete. The result could not be better: “We have already sold virtually all of it.”
With citrus caviar, Earmur has completed its line of alternative citrus fruits, all of them produced by the company itself: kumquat, lime and grapefruit (of which they have a 12-month-long production). A route that allows a clear differentiation within the citrus fruit sector, thanks to the professionalisation in produce and quality (they control all the processes, from production to marketing), and this also allows them greater profitability compared to the classic oranges, mandarins and lemons.
Forecasts of 2017/18
In general, Albacete predicts that the grapefruit campaign will have between 20-25% less in volume due to the weather conditions and particularly the lack of hours of cold. “It will be a complicated year and the sector will have to purchase more fruit from abroad.” However, the quality will be very good and it is expected that the prices will be high due to the drop in production. Demand for grapefruit continues to rise. “The demand is rising a great deal; every year we don’t have enough produce. In the rest of Europe you can find this fruit in all the hotels, for example and it is even more popular than oranges”. Limes are also experiencing a growing curve, both abroad and in Spain, where Earmur has become the ‘sole supplier’ for Mercadona for four months of the year.
The company, which has a citrus fruit plantation of 150 hectares in Sierra de Carrascoy (Murcia), will increase its invoicing this year and its plans for the immediate future include the implementation of zero waste in 80% of its crops, as well as an increase in its commitment to ecofriendly packaging.
