Anecoop celebrates its 50th anniversary

Anecoop is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and Fruit Attraction has been the setting chosen to take stock of these five decades with a press conference held by Anecoop president Alejandro Monzón and general manager Joan Mir.

Anecoop was founded in 1975, when 31 citrus cooperatives decided to bring their productions together to be in a better position to tackle the Eastern European markets. Being an attractive partner for large-scale retailers in terms of supply and service was another of the main objectives from the very beginning. It is currently made up of 61 member companies and represents more than 20,000 growers who cultivate more than 61,000 hectares all over Spain.

© ANECOOP S.COOP.

With its more than 90 products, Anecoop has a homogeneous portfolio in terms of volume, range, and schedules, and is present in a total of 74 countries.

It has five branches in Spain, twelve subsidiaries in eight countries, and two logistics platforms, which allow it to provide a flexible response to its clients and a more personal and efficient service.

© ANECOOP S.COOP.

The press conference served to review some of Anecoop's milestones, highlighting the fundamental role played by the people who have kept it afloat and promoted it. Some of the company's key moments were the creation of its international sales network with the launch of its first subsidiary in France in 1979; the launch of emblematic products, such as the seedless watermelon Bouquet (1992) and Persimon kakis (1997); the development in that same decade of the naturane integrated production regulation; the launch of communication campaigns to promote the rural environment and agricultural activity, such as Raciones de Vida para el Campo (2020); its desire to go further in the field of sustainable management, which began in 2021 with its adhesion to the United Nations Global Compact, and the presentation in 2023 of the Anecoop Sustainability Observatory.

© ANECOOP S.COOP. For 25 years, Anecoop has been promoting integration and inter-cooperation processes among its members. The creation of such alliances is key to the viability of agriculture in the future, as it boosts collective potential over individual ones, which results in better capacity to respond in a constantly changing global market.

With regard to the roadmap for the coming years, Joan Mir said that "future guidelines encompass various areas: adapting to new technological advances, climate change and new regulatory frameworks; the fight against pests; the promotion of generational succession, which we are deeply concerned about; and improving the value of agricultural production in the eyes of the consumer. We are also taking steps to ensure the creation of outstanding value through communication. Furthermore, in order to ensure our management adapts to changes in the environment and markets, we have started working with a new organizational model within our commercial department."