Four of the largest growers in the Spanish region of Andalusia have formed a coalition to increase their buying power and strengthen their position in the UK market.
The Unica Group, set to begin trading in September, is the result of the conjunction of four Almerian Co-operatives (Casur, Cabasc, Cohorsan and Ferva) joining forces, combining a total of 650 growers, 3,500 employees working on the fields and 1,200 employees working in the warehouses.
Its combined 1,800 hectares produce over 140 million kilos of fruit and vegetables per annum with a sales volume of €145m (£123.6m).
The group produces tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, courgettes, watermelons, aubergines, melons and beans and is switching all the fields to natural pest control systems, which drastically reduce the need for pesticides, with some falling under organic certification.
Enrique De Los Rios, general manager of the Unica Group, told freshinfo: “We have a lot of business in Germany and the UK and we want to expand that so working together will help that.
“The UK market is key to us as Almeria has slipped a little in the last few years because of the currency problems, but now we have a cost-effective scheme, increasing our buying and selling power by working together, we can be more attractive.
“We have worked hard to align ourselves with the structure of the UK retailers and create specialised packhouses for each products and increase our margins. This new mentality, along with being able to trade under Lola [the brand name introduced by Andalusian umbrella group Hortyfruta], will definitely help us.”
Unica hopes the partnership will help offer a complete service with Casur specialising in classic tomatoes, Ferva working with speciality tomatoes and Cabasc and Cohorsan which supply both tomatoes and a range of other produce.
José Martinez Portero, president of the Unica Group, said: “At Unica, we base our strategy on the produce-partner concept, to ensure that our clients are offered unique flexibility, strategic thinking and exceptional service to help them realise their vision. Our mission is to build close, long lasting relationships as we work in unison with our partners to increase profits and satisfy the end consumer.“
The group aims to be up and running by September 1 ahead of the new season in October.
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