The information website by, for and about
the tomato processing industry globally

Spanish organic products conquering the US market

22/03/2018

François-Xavier Branthôme
Spain,
WPTC
${printContents} `); printWindow.document.close(); printWindow.focus(); printWindow.print(); printWindow.close(); }); });
Based near Almería, Bioterráneo is devoted to the production and marketing of organic processed products, including gazpacho, cherry tomato juice and other ready-to-eat tomato products. This firm was created by the parent company Biosol Portocarrero, which has around 200 hectares of organic fruit and vegetables in production, making it one of the five largest Spanish companies devoted to organic production. "Now […] the supply of organic products has grown a lot and there is competition, although it is also true that the demand is much greater than twenty years ago and continues to rise," explains Josep Prats, marketing manager at Bioterra.
 
Although the main markets for parent company are in Europe, the products of the specialist Bioterráneo are exported to farther destinations, such as the Arab Emirates, Canada or the United States, where cherry tomato juice and organic gazpacho are gaining ground. "The processed products allow us to reach markets that are inaccessible for the fresh range, like the United States, where the products need to have a shelf life of at least ten months. […] It is very difficult to enter this market, but […] the opportunities are very great. People are very open to trying new things, especially when it comes to convenience products," says Josep Prats.

Depending on the market, people are more or less knowledgeable about these products. According to Josep Prats, "in the United States, we are aware of at least nine gazpacho brands, five of them American and four Spanish. Both in North America and in other non-European destinations, we strive to inform consumers, who think of gazpacho as a vegetable soup. However, the fact that it is still unknown also helps us face the competition, which fortunately isn't very strong." "Our sales channels are gourmet stores; we do not work with large distribution chains, so we deal with more specialised customers who know how to appreciate the difference between these products and conventional ones," he adds.

Sources: FreshPlaza