This is how Antonio Caballero, Managing Director of Frutas Torero, describes the current situation, summarising it with a clear message: “It has been a highly fluctuating season.”
According to Caballero, the campaign got off to a challenging start. Initially, fruit appeared to be arriving somewhat later than in previous years, followed by storms and then heatwaves that accelerated ripening and concentrated supply into a very short period.
“The season started a little later than usual and we are going to finish earlier,” explains the executive.
The result has been a difficult campaign to interpret, with periods of limited availability at the beginning followed by a more intense influx of fruit onto the market.
“There has been a bit of everything,” admits Caballero, who stresses that stone fruit continues to demonstrate that no two seasons are ever the same, even after four decades of experience in the sector.
Convergence of production areas
This situation has been further compounded by the earlier development of crops in other growing regions.
The high temperatures recorded in Extremadura and Lleida are also accelerating their production calendars, potentially increasing market supply pressure. For Caballero, this is one of the factors creating the greatest uncertainty for the final stage of the campaign, particularly in a year when slightly higher volumes of fruit are available both in Spain and across Europe.
In the specific case of Frutas Torero, the company expects to finish the season earlier than in previous years.
Part of the later fruit production located in the Cieza area was affected by hail, reducing the volumes available during the final weeks of the campaign. Caballero estimates that the company could complete its season around week 24, with only very limited quantities remaining thereafter.
Debut for the grape campaign
Despite the challenges, the company continues to invest.
Frutas Torero is finalising the commissioning of its new packing facility, which this year will also host the grape campaign for the first time.
Following delays in construction and the installation of the refrigeration system, Caballero confirms that the facility is now virtually ready to begin this new phase, with all operations concentrated in the new premises.
The company will nevertheless retain its previous warehouse as refrigerated support infrastructure, particularly to meet the rapid and continuous cooling requirements of grapes.
“Grapes need a lot of cold — and they need it fast,” notes Caballero.
In the field, Frutas Torero continues to make improvements, albeit cautiously.
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The company is renewing plantations but without undertaking the large-scale expansions seen in previous years.
“Everything needs improving, but there is no point getting carried away,” summarises Caballero, referring to a context in which the priority is to consolidate investments and adapt to a campaign marked by volatility.
Frutas Torero’s Murcian stone fruit remains primarily focused on European markets.
Caballero points out that, unlike grapes, stone fruit is not usually shipped to distant destinations because it is a more delicate product with a lower capacity to withstand long transit times.
