Three cooperatives from Granada, Centro Sur, Espárrago de Granada and Espalorquiana, are closing an important operation that strengthens the province of Granada, placing it in a leading position on the international markets.
This merger process between the cooperatives has been successfully completed and it will become the largest green asparagus cooperative in Spain and in Europe, marketing over 11 million kilos (7.8 of Spanish-grown produce), and it will take over a surface area of over 1,500 hectares.
Over the past two years, work has been carried out on this merger project, which finally ended with the definitive approval by the assemblies of the three cooperatives in March and with the official inscription on the register of the Department of Employment and Companies of the Andalusian Regional Government in September. During this time, the three parties have been reinforcing their ties through different marketing and promotion agreements.
The operation responds to the need to move forward in the concentration of the offer and increase the size of the cooperatives to successfully compete on the European market, in line with Government recommendations, as well as that established in the Plan Estratégico del Cooperativismo Andaluz (Andalusian Strategic Coopertivism Plan), the Programa de Desarrollo Rural de Andalucía (Andalusian Rural Development Programme) and the commitment by the MAPA for cooperative integration as an economic driver in rural areas.
Amongst the goals pursued by the merger is that of generating economies of scale, synergies in different areas of the business management, aiding the restructuring of the cooperative activities and giving rise to complementary relations on all levels (personnel, technological, training, financial, research, etc.), in addition to increasing the degree of organisation.
All of this without forgetting their business purpose, which is no other than “generating wealth in the rural world.”
The merger in figures
- 1,598 associates
• 1,519 has
• 7,823t of Spanish-grown produce
• 3,480t of imported produce
• 7 warehouses
• 15,877 m2 of warehouses and an extension of another 5,500
• 16.871 m3 of cooling rooms
• 1,100 direct workers in the Spanish national campaign
• Exports to 27 countries
• Production in: Granada, Malaga, Jaen, Cordoba, Seville, Cadiz, Toledo, and Guadalajara
