Spanish Companies are Excelling in Innovation: Awards Recognize their Cutting-edge Work

It’s all about innovation… could easily be the motto of the Alimentos de España awards given by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food since 1987. These awards recognize companies and professionals who have stood out for producing, offering, and promoting quality Spanish foods while contributing to the food sector's development in a sustainable and efficient way.

If there’s one thing all the winners have in common, it’s that innovation is deeply embedded in their DNA, no matter the category.

Process Improvement

One example is the Food Industry Award, given to AgroSevilla Aceitunas (Seville, Andalusia), a leading company in olive production and export. Their commitment to innovation and digitizing their production processes is clear, and they’re implementing technology that supports a circular economy, focusing on waste treatment, renewable energy use, and olive tree protection.

The Organic Production Award, given to Luque Ecológico (Castro del Río, Córdoba, Andalusia), also highlights their efforts in improvement and change. This family business, that produces high-quality organic extra virgin olive oil and is present in 20 countries, has developed new technology for the inner coating of metal containers, QR codes for product traceability, and a system to reduce temperature during the production process. They’re also committed to sustainability by managing waste from the oil mill.

The winners in the Food Internationalization category are Unica Group (Almería, Andalusia), fruit and vegetable exporters who have increased their investment in organic production and process digitization to boost profitability. The award for Entrepreneurial Initiative went to Naria Tech (Castellón de la Plana, Valencian Community), a digital platform focused on social inclusion and food security, using blockchain technology to connect and optimize resources, such as managing surplus food from companies.

Advanced and Sustainable Solutions

More awards with a clear innovative edge: Cataliment (Alcantarilla, Murcia) won in the Fishing and Aquaculture Production category. This is a company that produces processed seafood and vegetable products and  one that has been innovating for 30 years with solutions like a cuttlefish ink dispenser designed for the hospitality industry. The award for the Initiative to Reduce Food Waste went to Im-Perfect Food (Barcelona, Catalonia), a brand of vegetable preserves committed to environmental sustainability and social justice which aims to reduce food waste by making their preserves with fruits and veggies that didn’t make it to market.

And finally, there’s the award for Innovation itself. It was given to Conservas Familia Conesa (San Fulgencio, Alicante, Valencian Community), that produces vegetables preserves with a focus on recovering high-nutrient discards for their preserves and producing nutrient-rich purees. Innovation is a core pillar for them, as highlighted by the award they received, but it’s also deeply rooted in all the other winners this year, as the rest of the awards demonstrate.

Alimentos de España awards are one of the most successful tools for promoting and supporting the agri-food sector developed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food. They contribute to recognize the work of entities, entrepreneurs, and professionals who have excelled in producing, processing, marketing, and offering consumers high-quality food using advanced and environmentally friendly methods and technologies.