Spanish stonefruit producers should have more confidence in themselves and not feel obliged to compete merely on price, according to Xavier Seró of Abella Fruits.
Seró comes from a third generation family of producers that set up the company five years ago because it wanted to reach the market directly and achieve the recognition it felt it deserved for a job well done.
Since then its production has grown rapidly, hitting 5,000 tonnes this season and projected to rise to 7,500 tonnes in 2017. The company counts Germany, Brazil, France and Poland among its main markets.
For Seró the catalyst for setting up the group was the desire for greater differentiation. “As producers we have always taken great pride in what we do and felt it was time to take control of our own destiny,” he tells Fruitnet.
Frustrated with the parlous state of the Spanish stonefruit industry, Seró maintains that a big part of the problem is that its producers suffer from a collective crisis of confidence.
“I believe we have the quality to stand alone and not feel we have to accept any price,” he says.
Seró believes production in Catalonia has grown too rapidly over the past five years as topfruit producers have switched in their droves to stonefruit. The situation is stabilising, however. “There’s always room in the market for companies that do things well,” he notes.
