The largest blueberry producing company in northern Spain, Rustic Queen, located in the Asturian council of Caravia, has announced that it is immersed in a strategic plan that will lead it to double its plantations throughout this year to reach 300 hectares between Asturias and Galicia. Currently the company has about 145 hectares distributed between Galicia, El Franco and Villaviciosa. This was explained by the promoting partner of this red fruit producer and canning company, Fernando Gómez, during the visit made to the company's facilities by the general director of Rural Development and Agri-food, Begoña López.

An investment of more than 600.000 euros

In addition to this firm commitment to a product that is currently very popular, there is an investment of "more than 600.000 euros, of which the Principality subsidizes 270.000" to build a new warehouse that will house huge cold chambers that will make it possible to maintain the product throughout the year and, therefore, also its transformation into jam and other derivatives. The director of Rural Development and Agrifood stressed that the one of the promoter of the company, familiarly linked to eastern Asturias, "is an example to value of how people who had no connection with the sector invest in rural areas but see a possibility of investing, marketing and creating value in the council through the agri-food product ”.

Currently, Gómez explained, Rustic Queen owns "about 145 hectares of plantations distributed between Galicia, El Franco and Villaviciosa" and its intention is "to grow this year to a minimum of three hundred hectares, of which 80% will be allocated to the cultivation of blueberries and raspberries. ' This growth, said Begoña López, "will bring about an increase in the workforce." And the promoter of the company ratified it, without anticipating for the moment how many positions it will ascend. If he indicated that, "only on the farm in Galicia -the largest at the moment- we reach 460 people in summer, when it is necessary to harvest, since the blueberry is still very manual."

Source of employment

Production berriesIn addition, it has been an important source of employment in the region, since it is complemented by the production of jams, jellies and sweet foods in the other warehouse that the company has in the Carrales industrial estate and which, as explained by the Production "employs a dozen people during campaigns and has the capacity to produce 2.500 210-gram containers of candy per hour."

Innovation

The Caraviense company, stressed Begoña López, "is also very committed to innovation and research" and, in fact, pointed out Fernando López, "we are immersed in two innovative projects, one of them with Asincar, which we will soon be able to present." Added to this, added the general director, the incorporation of Rustic Queen into Alimentos del Paraíso, which means that "in addition to investing in rural areas, they contribute to making Asturias brand."