HaciendasBio, a leading producer of organic fruit and vegetables in Spain and a leading exporter of these products to European countries, produced 32,200 tons in 2018; 61% more than in 2017, when it reached a total of 20,000 tons. The company, which currently exports 90% of its production to 17 countries, closed the year with a turnover of 32 million Euro, thereby achieving double-digit growth for the second consecutive campaign. With the aim of consolidating its growth, the company's partners have arranged a second capital increase of 4 million Euro, the same amount that was injected for this year. This will make it easier to handle new investments, such as the acquisition of new farms and the development of R+D+i.
"We are very satisfied with the results achieved in 2018, since they reflect the growth in the demand for organic fruit and vegetables, both in Spain and in Europe. At the national level, our commitment to making organic fruit and vegetables more accessible is helping boost their consumption. This, together with the fact that the company has a team of people fully involved in the project, has allowed us to succeed and to show that it is possible to produce in a better way," says HaciendasBio's general director, Paco Casallo.
The positive results obtained by the company are also reflected in its employment figures. The firm has shown its commitment to hiring more of its workers permanently, going from 82 permanent employees to 163 in 2018, with 40% of them being women. In high season, between the months of March and August, the company can have more than 1,000 workers.
Milestones in 2018
HaciendasBio has closed the year 2018 with 2,200 hectares of crops, 32% more than in 2017, consolidating as the producer with the most organic arable hectares in Spain. The land is divided into 35 farms located in Extremadura, Andalusia, Catalonia, Aragon, the Canary Islands and the Region of Valencia.
Another of the most outstanding milestones of the company has been the entry into operation of the Ecological Park of La Albufera in the second quarter of 2018. This is the new industrial plant for fruit and vegetable handling and packaging in the new HaciendasBio Ecological Park, which has an intelligent energy generation and demand control system that optimizes its operation. With an area of 400 hectares, the facilities house the company's new corporate headquarters, with 4.0 technology, laboratories, a research center and an energy production plant. The facilities will also have a children's school based on the Waldorf pedagogy.
In terms of new products, HaciendasBio has continued expanding its range in 2018 with the addition of new leafy vegetable crops. To this we must add the increase in the production of figs and cherries, which reached 145 tons in the first campaign. In 2018, the cycles have also been extended for nectarines and peaches, and new varieties of yellow plum, melon and watermelon have been introduced. HaciendasBio is fully involved in the addition of new products in 2019, including apricot, kaki and pomegranate.
Closer to the consumer
In 2018, a year after the launch of Biovivo in the domestic market, the brand increased its presence, reaching a total of 1,000 stores and a turnover of 2 million Euro. This figure represents 5% of the company's global turnover. Biovivo products can be found in Spanish retailers such as Consum, Eroski, Caprabo, Euromadi, Alimerca, Mercabarna-Rafols, Cal Fruitós, Carrefour, Ahorramás, Merca Madrid-Olivar and Hermanos Martín, among others.
Biovivo is the first brand in the Spanish market that has designed a totally sustainable packaging, with 0% plastic, which helps the organic products stand out from the rest.