South American citrus giant San Miguel is celebrating its 50th anniversary, having transformed itself from family grower to multinational market leader in that half a century.
Speaking to the Journal from the company’s Tucuman production area, San Miguel’s Adolfo Storni said the ability to respond to the demands of customers has been key to expansion. With 5,500 hectares of planted farms across Argentina and 2,000ha in production in Uruguay, the company supplies 110,000 tonnes of lemons and 25,000t of soft citrus to the EU, eastern Europe, Asia, Canada and the Middle East.
The company is also the largest processor of lemons in Argentina with more than 200,000t processed. San Miguel has two factories in Argentina and one in Uruguay.
“We send 60 per cent of our fruit to the EU and this has always been our strongest marketplace,” said Storni. “We have always been particularly strong in the UK and we are market leaders in all of the markets we deal in.” San Miguel in fact is responsible for 60 per cent of the Argentinian lemon that enters the UK market.
A new group of investors took San Miguel onto another level 10 years ago and the financial injection enabled the acquisition and merger activity that expanded its horizons.
The latest addition is a 60,000 plant nursery in San José, Uruguay, which has already developed the mandarin orange and lemon varieties we can expect to see on supermarket shelves within the next two years.
“We are EurepGAP and HACCP accredited and have always invested to keep in line with market requirements. And as exporters, we have managed to remain isolated from the internal economic difficulties experienced in Argentina,” said Storni. “We reach 50 years in a very good position to enhance our long-term performance.”
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