Hortofortini begins the winter season once again demonstrating why it has become one of Europe’s leading celery suppliers, capable of serving modern retail in any presentation or format: trays, flowpack, bags, bulk, or customised developments for international retailers. “What we do is offer celery solutions to all European modern retail, and even markets outside Europe,” explains its general manager, Rafael Martínez.
A campaign starting one month later
This year, the campaign has begun with a delay of 15–20 days, a situation that Martínez directly links to climate change and the extended production cycles in Europe. “Europe had product available until very late, and we are starting a month later than we did traditionally 15 years ago,” he notes.
The “mild” weather in Central Europe allowed countries such as Germany, France and the Netherlands to maintain domestic supply for more weeks. As a result, the Spanish campaign has been shortened both at the beginning and at the end, complicating planning and putting pressure on prices at origin.
This has been compounded by other factors such as temporary oversupply and slow market reaction, particularly in celery and lettuce, where the start has been “weaker than last year”.
Field mini-factories: a unique packing model
One of Hortofortini’s most distinctive features is its operational model based on mobile packing platforms—true “mini-factories” that move across fields and allow the product to be packed, palletised and traced directly at origin.
“We pass these machines over the fields, and what comes out from behind is a pallet ready to ship to the final customer,” says Martínez. The system incorporates immediate identification, computer control and real-time traceability. This model provides speed, freshness and efficiency, and is particularly well-suited to a sensitive crop such as celery.
During the campaign, the company mobilises around 450 workers, most of whom are dedicated to harvesting and field-packing tasks.
Expensive water and labour: the major challenges of southeast Spain
Martínez is clear when identifying the factors that limit the sector’s competitiveness in the region.
Water access, which he describes as “the first item on the cost sheet” due to the high price of desalinated water. “In Europe, water doesn’t appear in any cost sheet. In Murcia, the first line is water,” he laments.
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Labour availability and regulation are also among the biggest challenges: “The administration does not make it easy, and it is hard for us to maintain our structures.”
Despite this, Hortofortini has managed to maintain yields and quality thanks to tight management and a highly technified production model.
Leadership in Central Europe and international expansion
Germany and France remain its main markets, where the company maintains a strong position: “In Central Europe, I would say we are leaders,” Martínez affirms.
In addition, the firm is developing new international markets with very promising results. Saudi Arabia, where Hortofortini has completed a “fantastic” campaign with container shipments and growing customer loyalty. Canada, for which the firm is preparing specific formats adapted to market preferences. The United Kingdom and the rest of Europe continue to be regular destinations, with stable volumes.
New lines for salads and fresh consumption
With around 25 million celery pieces produced annually, Hortofortini is immersed in an ambitious varietal renewal programme, carried out in collaboration with several seed companies, with the aim of developing new celery varieties designed for fresh consumption: sweeter, crunchier and with improved organoleptic profiles.
“Important new developments are coming. We are looking for celery that performs better in salads, smoothies and fresh consumption,” Martínez advances.
The goal is to open celery to new culinary uses and reach consumers who currently limit it to broths or traditional preparations. “Salads around the world use 10, 15 or 20 times more ingredients than celery. The potential is enormous,” he highlights.
2025–2027 Strategy
After reaching €39–40 million in revenue, Hortofortini is entering a consolidation phase: maintaining volumes, improving processes and preparing a new strategic plan that will include investments in cold storage and logistics capacity. “Now it’s time to do things better from an efficiency standpoint,” he summarises.
