"Other producers have tried to grow this variety, but they have not obtained the same flavor and texture"

We are facing an atypical strawberry campaign, with volumes generally below last year's levels and an exponential increase in costs, although this has not prevented the Fragaria brand from winning the Flavor of the Year 2022 award; an award it already won last year for the first time.

"The production has been delayed throughout the campaign and the market has been receiving a lower supply of strawberries than usual for this time of the year. Also, new strawberry varieties have been introduced this year, so there have been lower volumes of more traditional varieties," says Jordi Sánchez, head for Berries at Fruits Ràfols.

Jordi Sánchez, on the right.

This is the fifth year of the company working with the Fragaria brand, and the second winning the Flavor of the Year award. "We are very happy, as it is a small tribute to a job well done," says Jordi Sánchez.

The Fragaria brand was launched in 2018, aiming to offer consumers a large, high-quality strawberry with more color, a consistent texture, and an extraordinary flavor. "To this end, we found the producer company La Huerta de Doñana, from Almonte, in the province of Huelva, which grows the Splendor strawberry for us. Although it is not a very productive variety, it has all the characteristics we were looking for; a result of this grower's hard work," he says. "Other growers have tried growing this variety, but have not obtained the same results in terms of flavor and texture," he says.

"We have managed to give a boost to the demand for Fragaria strawberries, as more and more people are becoming familiar with them after having tasted them and are interested in repeat purchases," says Jordi Sánchez. "This year, we have harvested fewer kilos than usual due to the weather, but this is a premium product for which higher prices are usually paid. It is true that production costs (inputs, packaging materials, etc.) have risen quite a lot, but we cannot pass these on at once into the final price, since this is a product with already higher prices. We are doing it gradually. We are investing to ensure that consumption is as global as possible."

While apples, pears, and stone fruit were the company's core business initially, about five years ago they decided to start working with berries to try making a difference in the market, and these have already become one of their flagship products, multiplying their sales.

"We have agreements with small producers, with whom we define the quality parameters. So, in addition to strawberries, we also sell blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and currants, which we market both on the domestic market (around 50%) and for export to Europe throughout the year," says Jordi Sánchez.

"Over the last three years, our berry volumes have grown by 300%. We have improved in terms of quality, logistics and service. It is important to be able to offer fruit all year round and on a regular basis. That is the most difficult part, but the one that is most appreciated," says the sales manager. To this end, the company works with different origins. "In summer, we harvest blueberries in the north of Spain and then we switch to Peru, while in January we combine this origin with the first fruits from Huelva. A few years ago, we did not work so much with Peruvian blueberries, but we are finding that the fruit arrives in good condition and is well received, so the volumes we work with have multiplied. What used to be one truck a month has now turned into four. As for raspberries, when we do not have enough volumes in Spain we switch to Morocco or Portugal, and for blackberries we resort to air imports from Mexico and Guatemala."

Building a successful brand is not easy and involves certain sacrifices. "We have become very demanding with our Fragaria brand, so it is difficult to keep the supply and quality stable across the entire range of berries every day of the year. That's why we also sell under the growers' brands."