Llano Fresh Trade has incorporated this fruit to its range to extend the campaign through the winter months
Amidst the tomato and artichoke plants that adorn the landscape of Zafarraya, for the past six years, a less popular crop in the area has arisen, the persimmon. The company Llano Fresh Trade incorporated it to its range of products in 2015, through the Asociación de Productores de Kaki del Poniente Granadino y la Alta Axarquia (Asprokaki). The idea is to differentiate the company and to give it some activity in the months from October to the beginning of January, since their vegetable campaign is short, beginning in the middle of May and ending in December, to supply the national market, which makes up 85% of its market share compared to its 15% of exports.
“At the moment we are just starting out. We chose a variety called “rojo brillante” and little by little, we are growing”, José Miguel García, manager of Llano Fresh explains. Once they reach a suitable volume they intend to form a fruit-and-vegetable-producer organisation, and in the medium term they want to provide value to the product through transformation. In point of fact, this year they have started up a fresh-cut/ready-cooked line of gourmet products with their own brand, Sabor Sweet. “It is all prepared using products from the region”. Jams and vegetable pickles, gazpacho, salmorejo, tomato sauces or candied artichokes are some of the products that can be found in their online store, www.saborfreshco.com
To develop these products and continue innovating, some time ago they opted for joining the Clúster de Innovación Agroalimentaria Granadino (Cinngra) and more recently, the Centro Tecnológico de la Agroindustria (Adesva).
In just 8 years, Llano Fresh Trade has managed to reach a figure of 25,000 tonnes every year of fruit and vegetables. With 700 farmers placing their trust in the company, making a total of 1,200 hectares, the number of farmer members joining the company continues to grow.
The main crops produced are tomatoes, artichokes, cauliflowers and beans, as well as others such as cabbages, courgettes, cucumbers, peppers, spring onions and persimmons.
