Rojo Brillante kakis have again hit the shelves of European supermarkets thanks to the crop's expansion in South America. Some Spanish companies have taken their expertise to these countries to be able to import and market kakis during the off-season, including the Valencian company The Natural Hand, which has become the largest importer in Europe.
"This week, we started receiving the first South American kakis, 80% of which will be supplied to Europe, with some going also to other countries around the world. They will be shipped by air until the end of July," says Juan Carlos Martínez, CEO of The Natural Hand, who marketed around 1.5 million kilos of this product last summer.
"This summer, due to the natural recovery process of the trees, the production will be somewhat lower, and we estimate a volume of approximately 1 million kilos," says Juan Carlos, who says that they will have a growing production in the coming years. "Currently, we have around 80 hectares in production in various South American countries, but in the coming campaigns, we will exceed 120 hectares."
"Few companies are as specialized in exporting to distant destinations as we are. For this reason, we decided to implement our know-how in South America to be able to have kakis in the off-season with the same quality standards and shelf life as those we produce in Spain. To achieve this, we manage the plots all year round, and that is yielding very good qualitative results," says Juan Carlos Martínez.
For more information:
Juan Carlos Martínez
The Natural Hand
Hort de Calafre, 6
46470 Albal, Valencia. Spain
Tel.: +34960046320
[email protected]
www.thenaturalhand.com