This French apricot variety is characterised by a sourer flavour which, "until recently, was not very successful in Spain," states Sergio Alonso, head of Iberaljusa. It is an early variety whose harvest will kick off in about 10 days in the Alicante area, although Murcia has already started its marketing this year.
"In France, they won't have any fruit until June, so our apricots are eagerly expected there," adds Alonso. Their price, considering they are the first of the campaign, is usually high, "reaching 5.8 or 6 Euro per kilo," affirms Alonso. However, this price may fall to between 2.50 and 3 Euro per kilo in a very short time, according to data provided by Iberaljusa.
This family business has been expanding its acreage devoted to Mogador apricots after several requests from its already faithful customers in Perpignan. There, Iberaljusa is known for its table grapes, and given the great demand, they have decided to seize the opportunity. "We are going little by little, because just like our grapes, all the apricots that we sell are grown by us; that is, we don't buy from third parties," explains Alonso. For this reason, they have gone from 2 hectares planted with apricots three years ago to 8 hectares in the current campaign.
So far, Iberaljusa has marketed 80% of its Mogador apricots in the domestic market, in cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville or Bilbao. The other 20% goes to international destinations, namely Perpignan, Sicily, Palermo and the Netherlands.
For more information:
Sergio Alonso Benito
Iberaljusa SL
Tel.: +34 619316729