The Spanish apple season is in full swing. “We’re currently employing about 45 people who are sorting and picking,” says Ad van der Staaij, who started Savasun, the Spanish production company of Staay Food Group, in the Spanish province of Tarragona 1987.
Although outdoor vegetable production is the company’s core activity, they also have about 30 hectares of apples for export to the Netherlands. Besides, this way the permanent workers also have work in the summer.
Although regions like Llerida and Girona are known for their apple production, that’s not the case in Tarragona. “But it’s worked for us for years, and the region is very suitable for the production of apples,” Ad says. The Spanish apples are primarily sold in the Netherlands via parent company Staay Food Group, the Class II apples are partially sold locally.
According to the recently published WAPA figures, the Spanish apple harvest is 14 per cent higher than last year and 12 per cent higher than the average of the last three years. “We fortunately didn’t have any night frost, and the harvest is looking well. We started picking about two weeks ago. We started with Gala and are now picking Elstar. We’ll go through the orchard at least four times to select just the best apples. I expect to continue picking Elstar for about ten more days, and this is then followed by Granny Smith and Golden Delicious.”
Demand for Spanish apples is good. “Elstar apples are hardly left on the market, and Gala apples have also been cleared well, except for some from New Zealand. This means the market is looking positive, but we won’t be able to take stock until the end of the season. We have to make sure we’re off the market when Polish Galas and Dutch Elstars arrive on the market,” Ad says.
About ten hectares of apples have been selected to be grubbed up after the season, and apricots will take their place. Besides plums, Staay Food Group will then have apricots of their own production as an addition to the stone fruit assortment of the specialist from Papendrecht, the Netherlands. “You have to try something new occasionally. We’re now preparing for the vegetable season. The first parsley and celery have already been planted, and we’ll gradually turn to cauliflower and different varieties of lettuce,” Ad concludes.
For more information:
Frans Sinke:
Staay-Hispa
Papendrecht, the Netherlands
Tel: +31 180 67 91 00
frans.sinke@staay-hispa.nl