Spain benefits from exceptional soil

Spain benefits from exceptional soil Two young French men, both fond of melon, have decided to bring their know-how and experience to Spain where the soil is exceptional. Presentation of BOCAFRUITS, second producer of "Charentais" melon in Spain, with M. Asdrubal CANO. Fructidor : M. Cano, could you briefly present your company ? Asdrubal Cano : My associate, who already produced melon in Quercy-France, and I established the Bocafruits company four years ago. We started with 120 hectares and now we farm 260 hectares. Our turnover is Euro 10 million. We employ 25 permanent workers and we are 100% growers. Fructidor : Why have you chosen to grow melon in Spain ? Asdrubal Cano : First, the soil is exceptional and the climate very good. Moreover, there is less competition, more workforce and less fiscal pressure in Spain. The melon season is also quite positive for us as our production goes from April 15th to July 15th. Fructidor : What are your distribution channels ? Asdrubal Cano : We have decided to bring our know-how to Spain, but we're a French company with French methods and we have developed our client portfolio in France. For example, we work with wholesalers and large-scale distributors. Our "Le Courtois" brand is distributed by Auchan and Carrefour. Fructidor : What are your requirements in terms of quality ? Asdrubal Cano

: We have very strict specifications, but above all, we are building a new packaging station that will allow us to obtain the ISO 9002 & 14 001 certifications, it should be operating shortly. Spain is leader in both taste and volume Fructidor : What is the fruit and vegetables sector like in Spain ? Asdrubal Cano : Spain is, without any doubt, the granary of Europe. It supplies, along with Morocco, most of the European Union. It is a booming sector, but still suffering from water shortage. That is why a hydrological plan has been implemented at a national level. It is a very dynamic sector as a whole and especially in marketing and investment. Fructidor : What problems do you usually face ? Asdrubal Cano : One of the major problems that we face is linked to our geographical situation. Indeed, we are located on the coast where there is strong property pressure. Land costs are very expensive and water limits are important. Because of this, we have to pay too much for land renting and investments in drilling. Fructidor : What are your plans for the future ? Asdrubal Cano : We aim to extend the melon farming to the months of February, March and April in order to offer a six month production. We have also launched a range of vegetables (artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower and courgette) in Spain.