SanLucar’s pioneering Ecuadorean table grape programme will deliver 300 tonnes for the European market this season, produced on the company’s GlobalGAP-certified farms in Santa Elena and Lourdes.
Up to 20 containers of Crimson, Jack’s Salute and Sweet Globe grapes are expected to arrive at the port of Rotterdam between now and the end of January, which will be distributed among leading European supermarkets.
The company said the climatic conditions in Ecuador have proven to be optimal for the cultivation of table grapes, delivering a product that is well received in countries such as Germany due to its excellent quality and taste.
To ensure the continuity in the grape production process and to monitor the quality of these fruits, SanLucar has been working in constant collaboration with Ecuador’s plant health agency Agrocalidad since it embarked on its Ecuadorean table grape project five years ago.
“We are very happy with the progress of our programme for developing the grape production in Ecuador, which we started in 2014,” said SanLucar’s country manager for Ecuador, Leonel González. “Moreover, we are grateful to Agrocalidad for the cooperation and support they constantly give us.”
As a result of this close collaboration, technicians from Agrocalidad visited the SanLucar premises in Santa Elena on Tuesday to monitor harvesting and packing, as well as supervise the managing of the plantation and the grape exports.
SanLucar has three farms in Ecuador –two table grape farms in Santa Elena and Lourdes and a banana farm in Magdalena near Puebloviejo.
The company is also working on a number of social and environmental projects in the country through its d.r.e.a.m.s sustainability programme.
