“This 2022 was a very difficult year for the Argentinian lemon sector, especially due to the increase of more than 100% in logistics costs, nothing has been easy, the prices on the market were among the lowest in the last three years. We lost money,” says Florencia Zamora, from Zamora Citrus in Tucuman, Argentina.
Despite these challenges Zamora Citrus used the year to improve their business and grab the opportunities presented in the US and Europe. “In 2022, the United States market for organic lemon from Argentina was opened under the NOP Standard, which regulates the handling and labeling of products exported to this country. This was accompanied by new infrastructure, a packaging line for organic fruit and a new loading dock were inaugurated, where the fruit is loaded directly cold from the container via Chile to reach the port of Philadelphia in 20 days.”
The company that produces and leads the export of lemon with 0% residue to the European Union, aims to have 80% of its farms certified organic in the next two years, expecting new markets to open up for this fruit says Zamora. Zamora Citrus is a family business that has been producing, packing and exporting lemon for more than 30 years. It is located in Tucuman – Argentina, one of the main lemon producers in the world.
“About 65% of our production is exported to Europe and 35% to the US. We currently work in our own fields and third parties with a total of 900 hectares with varieties like Eureka and Lisboa. Our production is distributed from North to South throughout the province of Tucuman. Our packing house is approved for the most demanding markets in countries from United States, Europe and China for which we are certified with all the needed quality standards. For more than 15 years we have been developing the without treatment and post-harvest and organic line, its fields certified under NOP standards, which allowed us to expand our exportable offer to new customers.”
Zamora citrus was also distinguished from the Argentine Agency for Investment and International Trade (AAICI) with the award in "Innovation in Exportation 2022". This award recognizes companies that have exported innovative products or services and was awarded the best website oriented to international trade says Zamora.
Pioneer in ethical and social Fair certification Trade
“Zamora Citrus is the first company in the Argentinian citrus sector to be certified Fair Trade, which was a very important step to meet the demands of the main supermarket chains. Today we are the lemon that we always wanted to be: sustainable, ecological and responsible,” comments Luciana Zamora, the sister of Florencia who runs the family business with her.
For more information:
Luciana Zamora
Zamora Citrus
Tel: +54 9 3814 09-6061
Email: [email protected]
www.zamoracitrus.com.ar