Clasol and Sol y Sabor team up in new organic citrus venture

Castellón-based Grupo Clasol has joined forces with Andalusian producer Sol y Sabor to create Clasol Bio, a new company dedicated to the production of organic citrus.

With 250ha of own production, including 187ha of organic citrus and a packhouse in Palma del Río, Córdoba, Clasol Bio will produce around 7,500 tonnes of organic oranges each year.

Sol y Sabor had already been supplying Clasol for a number of years. “Now, we have decided to take a further step with Clasol Bio, both in terms of marketing and production, integrating all the steps within the group,” said Clasol’s CEO César Claramonte.

The union marks the latest step in Clasol’s rationalisation and consolidation strategy as it strives to put small and medium-sized growers on a more equal footing when it comes to negotiating with buyers.

In September 2023 it integrated another Castellón-based cooperative, Cooperativa San Alfonso, into the group, creating one of the region’s leading suppliers of citrus and stonefruit.

Over the next five years Clasol plans to invest around €45m on upgrading its packhouses and overhauling its varietal offer to enable it to supply products with the greatest market demand at a competitive price.

Clasol said it is on course to reach a turnover of €240m in 2024/25, rising to €300m by 2026.