International Buyers Participate in Discovery Missions to Andalusia, Castile-La Mancha, and Asturias

The Fruit Attraction trade fair was recently held in Madrid from October 8^th to the 10^th. It’s the biggest event of its kind in the global fruit and vegetable industry, welcoming over 100,000 visitors and more than 2000 exhibitors from 145 countries. The fair extended across 10 pavilions and offered producers, buyers, and other industry professionals an excellent opportunity to connect, promote their businesses, and highlight the innovation, quality, and diversity the sector is known for.

A group of international buyers attending the fair participated afterwards in three different discovery missions, organized by ICEX, where they had the opportunity to visit different parts of Spain and get to know more about the producers there, their farming techniques, and their quality products.

Discovery trip to Andalusia

Representatives from nine companies participated on this mission to Andalusia, organized by ICEX and Andalucía Trade. They were: Waha Fruits and Panda, from Saudi Arabia; North American Produce Buyers, from Canada; IFFCO and Kibsons, from the UAE; Ela Tukku, from Finland; Freshdirect Pte. Ltd., from Singapore; Kinnefruit AB, from Sweden; and Kojavm Market Development, from Vietnam.

This group started out by flying to Granada and then traveling to the town of Huétor-Tajar, where they visited Centro-Sur, a farming co-op specializing in wild asparagus with PGI status, among other products.

Then they headed to Bio Procam in Motril, where they product subtropical and greenhouse products. After that, they headed to Vicasol, in Almeria, to learn about their sustainable food production.

The following day, they traveled to La Cañada, outside Almeria, to visit Casi, the largest agricultural co-op in Europe, where they participated in their live vegetable auctions. Their last stop was to Unica Group, a large fruit and vegetable co-op.

Discovery Trip to Castile-La Mancha

A second group traveled to Castile-La Mancha, comprised of five buyers from FOH International, in Saudi Arabia; Salah Abdul Rahman Al-Amoudi Trading Est.; Hortmix, in Brazil; Top Weal Limited, in Hong Kong; and World Fruit Centre, in Qatar. This trip was organized by ICEX and IPEX Castilla La Mancha.

After heading to Toledo, the group first visited Bio Sócrates to learn more about their organic fruit and regenerative agriculture.

Then the group visited Coop. Santiago Apóstol, a co-op specializing in melon, watermelon, and bell peppers. In the afternoon, they toured Agrollanos, which produces similar products and exports about 40% of production.

The following day, the group headed to San Isidro el Santo, known for its impressive production volume of 15 million kilos of garlic. Their last visit was to Grupo Lomar, which produces 25,000 tons of garlic and onions, some of it with PGI status.

Discovery Trip to Asturias

The third group traveled north, to Asturias, thanks to ICEX and Asturex, which organized the trip. There were six participants from Guepardo, LPD Import Export, and Mensageira, from Brazil; Jasenska doo, from Croatia; Fresh Partner, from Poland; and PPO Services Ag, from Switzerland.

The first producer they visited was García Villar Berries, SL, where they visited the facilities and learned more about their berries. Then they headed to Rusticqueen – Urbano Montoto, specialists in blueberries and kiwi.

The following day they visited Distribuciones Vega de Aguín, SL to discover more about the production and distribution of kiwi in Asturias, and finally, they visited Asp Fruit to learn more about their kiwi and strawberry, and pineapple gourmet jams.