Comexa has a network of private growers across Spain’s Almeria and Murcia regions, and currently produces up to 140,000kg of cherry tomatoes a week for clients such as Asda and Sainsbury’s.

However, an uncharacteristic cold snap in September impacted on Comexa’s cherry tomatoes grown 1,400 metres above sea level, with weekly volume down to 10,000kg, and a noticeable gap in production.

Despite that MD Graham Cousens says the company has since repositioned its plantings to avoid a similar negative impact from the cold next season to guarantee a steady supply.

“There are a lot of Spanish co-operatives with open prices but their business into the UK market will only last when a lot of product is available,” explains Cousens. “We don’t try to play the market, and we provide consistent supplies to the UK throughout the year which has given us a loyal customer base.”

With Comexa currently picking up what Cousens describes as “substantial” orders in the UK’s processing, packing, retail and wholesale markets, the salads supplier is now exploring the option of growing citrus. “We specialise in tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and aubergines as that’s where my background is, so I like to stick to my strengths, but as we are based in an area where there are a lot of citrus producers, moving into that market seems like a natural fit for us.”

With the EU-Morocco agricultural trade agreement settled earlier this year, Cousens expects exports into the UK from Spain’s neighbouring country to double. The company currently distributes 124 hectares of Moroccan cherry tomatoes and two million kilos of Moroccan yellow melons, with 60 and 70 per cent respectively exported into the UK.

The initial reaction to the agreement, which frees up substantial international trade for Morocco’s fresh produce industry, was negative from Spanish growers, but Cousens believes they need to adapt. “Spanish growers are too used to having things their own way and need to take wise steps. We’ve seen many Spanish growers invest in land in Morocco as labour costs are now much cheaper there; the melons we get from Morocco are now from a Spanish grower who wisely invested in land.”

Cousens also confirms Comexa is now starting the process of revamping its commercial team, and is looking to employ different nationalities in order to give the Spanish-based business similar success with exports into other European markets. “We have Spaniards, Brits, Germans and Dutch as I like to have a team that has versatile expertise,” he says. “When I moved here it wasn’t easy to settle into the relaxed Spanish way of thinking, which is very different to the British mentality of wanting everything to happen as quickly as possible, but we’ve adapted and the company now has the right balance.” —