Company’s latest investment puts it on path to further growth as Southern Hemisphere supply base continues to expand
Italian company Battaglio has formed Agricola El Camino, a new joint venture pineapple supplier in Costa Rica.
The investment further strengthens the Turin-based company’s production portfolio, at a time when demand for tropical fruit is increasing across much of Europe.
Situated in San Carlos, a canton in Costa Rica’s Alajuela province, the new company will operate around 500ha of production in what is regarded as one of the best-suited areas for pineapples in the country.
“The name Agricola El Camino is symbolic for us,” commented group president Luca Battaglio. “It represents the path we have undertaken together with the Corrales family, evolving from a simple customer-supplier relationship to a real strategic alliance. We decided to take this step together, to build something solid and valuable, in a sector that offers great growth opportunities.”
According to Battaglio, the 50:50 joint venture will be led by Alexander Bolaños, who also manages a number of companies in leading Costa Rican group Caribe.
Continued expansion
Battaglio has made a number of investments in the past decade to expand its international supply base and complement its domestic production and procurement.
These include the creation of Colombian avocado export business Agricola Persea in partnership with CI Tropical in 2018, and the formation three years later of a partnership with South Africa’s Sundays River Citrus Company, to produce citrus fruits, including lemons and oranges.
The group also has operations in Argentina, where in 2022 it bought Rio Negro-based Agricola Alto Valle to expand its apple and pear sourcing.
This article was corrected to reflect the fact Battaglio has formed a new joint venture with Agricola El Camino, not acquired the Costa Rican company.
