The melon and watermelon season has been underway in Spain since April and the quality of this year's fruit has so far been outstanding, says Paula Pigem, from Greenfood Ibérica. "This applies to both the early greenhouse crops and the open ground production, which we are working with right now, since the winter has been rather warm and there have been no issues with hailstorms, which destroyed part of the crop last season in Murcia."
"At Greenfood Ibérica we are very much focused on the Scandinavian market, although since the beginning of the season we have also been working with clients from all over Europe. We handle watermelons of all sizes and types, although our most significant volumes correspond to the mini watermelon in sizes 7 and 8, and the seedless white watermelon, which we sell mainly in bins and 16 kg boxes. However, for specific markets such as Germany, we also work with large sizes, which are the most in demand in Germany."
"As far as melon is concerned, we are focusing on the export varieties Galia, Yellow and Cantaloupe, but we also have some smaller volumes of Piel de Sapo melons and of specialties such as the Waikiki, Dino or Snowball in our range. As with watermelon, we mainly work with small sizes, which are the most sought after in Scandinavian markets, although we can also deliver larger sizes for other markets and for the convenience food companies in our group," says Paula.
"The melon and watermelon harvest started in the Region of Murcia and will continue in La Mancha, and we believe it will last until early September, thus achieving almost half a year of continuous supply of the Spanish production in the whole of Europe. Also, the return of good weather in northern Europe is expected to give a boost to the demand. Watermelon and melon consumption is highly influenced by temperatures and, after starting off with good prices and good demand from our European clients, the cold weather in spring caused a drop in the demand, at a time when the supply was increasing."
"In spite of this, at the moment our sales volumes are in line with last year's and, above all, what matters most is that there haven't been any problems with this year's harvest, so we will have fruit available for all our clients, both retailers and caterers, with whom we work via some clients who supply the hospitality sector. It is worth noting that, in general, Spanish melons and watermelons are highly appreciated in Europe, especially in Scandinavia, because of their quality and sustainability," says Paula. "In fact, that is what Greenfood Ibérica is always striving for with our Daily Greens brand."
"Our sustainability is not only related to production, it is also about social sustainability"
"All Daily Greens suppliers have sustainability integrated into their production processes, with drip irrigation, integrated pest control, etc. To take a step further towards sustainability, we only use boxes made from recycled and recyclable cardboard, and we have reduced the use of plastic as much as possible, opting where necessary for recycled or biodegradable plastic."
"But our sustainability is not only related to production, it is also about social sustainability. We demand GlobalG.A.P., IFS or BRC certifications from our suppliers, but also GRASP, with which we guarantee quality, food safety and good social practices, as well as the wellbeing of the workers who have produced our fruit and vegetables."
"Also, at Greenfood Ibérica we carry out social projects with disadvantaged groups and those at risk of social exclusion. For instance, we are providing support to children of immigrant workers in a secondary school in Santa María del Águila, Almeria; we are also helping a Somnis basketball team of disabled people in La Bisbal, Girona, to purchase sports equipment, and recently, we visited academies with 3rd year secondary students in Palafrugell, Girona, to raise their awareness of the world's environmental situation, which we have carried out together with Plant for the Planet."
"Sustainability is not yet an obligation, but we are choosing to be firmly committed to it, and we believe that later on it will become an EU requirement. Thus, in the future, Greenfood Ibérica's current strategy will allow us to be many steps ahead of other exporting companies."
For more information:
Greenfood Ibérica
Avda. Catalunya, 33-35
17253 Mont-ras Girona, Spain
Tel.: +34 972636559
https://greenfoodiberica.es