Cerdino-based Horticina has started harvesting its first commercial crop of blueberries. The company expects an output of 10 tonnes this year but with planted area projected to reach 100ha by 2018, annual volume will eventually hit 1,200 tonnes, making this the largest farm in northern Spain.
The fruit is being marketed through Chilean soft fruit multinational Hortifrut, which also owns farms in the neighbouring region of Asturias operated by its subsidiary Asturianberries.
Horticina was set up by Galician Miguel Mato and Swiss national Alberto Amstutz in 2002 to produce ornamental plants. But after a cyclone wiped out its entire production in 2009 the partners decided to explore other alternatives.
The conditions in Galicia are ideal for blueberry cultivation, the acidity of the soil and temperate climate producing a high quality fruit without the threat of spring frosts.
“We also have the advantage of having a harvesting window – between September and October –when there is no other production in Europe,” Mato told Campo Gallego.
Of the eight varieties initially selected by the two growers, two US blueberries, Highbush and Rabbiteye, have proved to be the best suited to the local conditions.
The two partners have invested a total of €2.3m in the farm and packhouse. Given its rapid volume growth, the company opted to enter into a strategic alliance with Hortifrut under which the Chilean firm will market 100 per cent of its output over a ten-year period.
The bulk of its output is earmarked for the UK, German and Swiss markets. Although Spain still lags behind northern European countries, demand is growing rapidly, with per capita consumption rising from 5g in 2013 to 11g in 2015.
