Almeria, Spain
New Delhi virus reduces and delays courgette production
"The New Delhi virus has caused a delay in the harvest, which also means that production is delayed. This is a practice that some growers have tried to avoid warmer periods. The New Delhi virus is limiting the courgette production. This year, there will be a lower production compared to previous years," says Gabriela Escobar, of the Marketing Department of the Almeria-based company Escobi.
Escobi has more than 400 hectares of crops and handles a volume of around 50 million kilos, with 20 million corresponding to courgettes.
In the previous season, the situation was very irregular for courgettes in terms of prices, with very high peaks in winter due to frosts in much of Europe and a decline in the spring months.
"This year, the campaign has started with high prices due to the fact that production has been delayed and in the rest of Europe it has finished earlier, leaving a gap in the market," explains Gabriela Escobar.
Escobi sells its courgettes both in Europe and overseas. According to Gabriela, the demand for courgettes is on the rise, mainly due to many possible ways in which the product can be used and the various formats in which it can be consumed. "There are markets where courgettes were already consumed which are now already asking for Almeria's courgettes," he says.
In 2015, Escobi changed the logo of the company, but it was in 2017 when the Communications and Marketing Department was consolidated. "We have developed our branding during this year, incorporating the new company logo to all areas of the company. We have launched a strategy to achieve a series of goals, such as the development of a mission, vision and values, or the creation of a strong visual identity.
"Our new claim, the origin of excellence, is to bet on agriculture as the basis of work well done, given that it is in AlmerÃa where vegetables and fruits of the highest quality are produced, and Escobi is offering some of those to its customers in the best possible conditions. We believe in the importance of branding and we are working day by day on our identity.
"Our goal in the future is to make our brand more efficient in both traditional and online media."