La Paz Fresh has filed for insolvency with liabilities totaling 36 million euros. This follows a similar move by another subsidiary, La Paz División Agrícola, as part of the holding company's broader restructuring efforts.
Company sources confirmed the situation over the last 24 hours, following the group's earlier activation of financial reorganization processes at other companies, such as Cítricos La Paz and La Paz Fresh.
The group's origins trace back to 2010, when Cítricos La Paz was formed and established its initial headquarters in the hamlet of La Matanza in Fortuna (Murcia). Starting in 2015, the company accelerated its expansion by building a large storage and handling center in the Fortuna industrial estate. This facility covers 65,000 square meters, with over 15,000 square meters of built-up area, and was opened in 2018 following a 14 million-euro investment.
This industrial complex is a major hub for the group's activities, primarily in the lemon segment, with a capacity of up to 120,000 tons annually. It features 34 production lines, including 12 pre-sizing lines, 26 for conventional produce, and 8 dedicated to untreated fruit.
In 2020, the activity was reorganized under the name La Paz Fresh, with Cítricos La Paz as the sole partner and Jaime Ortega as the sole administrator.
In 2022, the group increased its production capacity by acquiring a dedicated organic products center in Pozo Estrecho, Cartagena. This 20,000-square-meter facility has a processing capacity of 25,000 kilos per hour.
The group, led by CEO Jaime Ortega, employs approximately 670 workers across its two work centers.
Regarding finances, data from the 2023 Mercantile Register shows that La Paz Fresh's sales reached 57 million euros, a 62% increase from the previous year. The company reported a profit of 1.4 million euros but also liabilities totaling 30 million euros, indicating potential stress points in its financial structure.
Source: elnuevodigitalmurcia.es
