"Focus on quality, how to succeed in the Spanish sector of berries"
In the USA UU Driscoll's is the market leader for years and is known for its red fruits from its own procurement programs; but in Europe, the company has only been active for a relatively short time. Four years ago, the Spanish subsidiary of Driscoll's was created in Huelva after a merger with the producer organization Alconeras, of the Garrido family. Raúl Martínez, country manager for Spain, was given the task of coordinating the production of the four fruits: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. The Spanish production of blueberries and blackberries by Driscoll's is relatively new.
Taste, appearance and availability throughout the year.
The Spanish sector of strawberry in general has had two hard years. "This is why Driscoll's is investing in the development of new high-quality varieties. In this way we will be able to seduce consumers to buy our products again"Explains Raúl. "Our fruit must meet the highest standards in terms of taste, appearance and availability throughout the year. By doing that we try to guide the sector".
It should be clear that Driscoll's is not a traditional red fruit company. The organization has chosen long-term cooperation with producers who believe in Driscoll's own breeding programs and philosophy. "It is our challenge to develop varieties that work well in flavor and that have a lot of productivity for the producers. This is the reason why we focus on quality, since the consumer is making a conscious choice of tasty red fruits and the producer will take care of them.".
"We share the information with our producers with transparency, it is part of our business model. We consider it essential that our producers know what is happening with their products and that we are taking charge of the next steps in the chain. This requires mutual trust"Explains Raúl.
Construction of the category
Spain is an important production area for Driscoll's, but the company is also producing in countries such as Portugal, Morocco, Egypt and South Africa. "Driscoll's marketing strategy will focus on the coming years in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Germany, the Middle East and France. This is good news for southern Europe and production will increase due to the growing demand", Says Raúl.
The challenge for the Spanish subsidiary is not only to expand the cultivation of raspberries, but to increase the production of other red fruits. Martínez underlines his confidence in the future of the red fruit sector. "We believe in the management of the category and we see the results. The consumption of red fruits is growing on a global scale and Driscoll's believes that there will be many more possibilities in the future".
Source: Freshplaza.es
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