PRIMAFLOR
FRESH PRODUCE, GROWN WITH HEART
Powered by Inside Food & Drink
insidefoodanddrink.com
PRIMAFLOR
I PROFILE
FRESH PRODUCE
116 Inside food & drink
Primaflor was established in the 1970s as a family-run enterprise in Pulpí, Almería, southeast Spain. The company has been in the fresh produce business since the eighties, meticulously nurturing all the vegetables it grows – while responsibly preserving the surrounding environment. Cecilio Peregrin, Corporate Director, explained the secret of Primaflor’s success to Hannah Barnett.
nnovation and improvement have always
I
Fantastic facilities
been driving forces at Primaflor. The com-
At the end of the 2023 financial year,
pany takes its name from the Spanish for
Primaflor reported a turnover close to
flower, having initially been established for
€187 million, partly thanks to the company
their cultivation and sale. But for the last 40
scaling-up production extensively in
years it has provided fresh vegetables that
the last decade. “We moved from being
complement the Mediterranean diet, and
producers and growers with some exporting
now does so on a large scale.
spirit to adopting an industrial mentality,”
This is no mean feat, according to Cecilio
said Mr Peregrin.
Peregrin, Corporate Director: “People think
Alongside an extensive 6,000 hectares
a smart phone is innovative technology:
of fields, Primaflor operates four indoor
and it is, as a design and then the smart
facilities. One, at its HQ in Pulpí, is for fresh
phone is made by a machine, and it is fine.
produce and stretches across 10,000
But innovative technology is also being
square metres. There is another 4,000
able to grow multiple heads of lettuce
square metre factory specifically for
all the same size, or broccoli the same
peeled garlic, with an output of 18,000
weight and carrots the same colour. The
tonnes per year.
secret is having a fantastic technical team and to work hard, consistently.”
After moving into the prepared salads sector in 2005, the company
Inside food & drink 117
118 Inside food & drink
PRIMAFLOR
I PROFILE
purpose-built another 18,000 square metre factory. As part of the same initiative, Primaflor acquired Ensaladas Verdes in 2010, and took over a second factory for prepared salads in León to cover the northern Spanish market. Cultivating crops at different altitudes, ranging between sea level and 1,200 metres, gives Primaflor a strategic advantage as it can grow the same produce 52 weeks of the year. This allows the company to maintain a consistently high quality of products, while adapting to, and respecting, natural growth. Staff numbers average 1,800 but can peak at 2,700 with around 24 different nationalities represented. Staff welfare is a paramount concern of the company. Primaflor keeps abreast of trends, with a trial centre of three hectares dedicated to testing new products. “At the moment we are focusing on leaves that can be used in prepared salad bags,” said Mr Peregrin. “It is a challenge to come up with new varieties, but we keep doing it because it's part of our mentality. We are always researching; not only for our market, but also for our customers. Ultimately, we are
120 Inside food & drink
also consumers, so we also like to go to the shops and try new things.” Maintaining fully traceability of products is vital. “The only thing we don't produce is the seeds,” Mr Peregrin explained. “But we test all the varieties from different seed companies so we can choose the best: and this means seeds which are appropriate for fields in this area, only 200 metres above sea level, as well as ones that grow in our nurseries up in the mountains.”
Sustainable from the start Sustainability has always been paramount at Primaflor. “It's not what we do, it’s how we do it,” said Mr Peregrin. Efficient use of water is especially important in the hot climate: the company utilises two methods of drip irrigation and has reduced water consumption by up to 40%. Primaflor was also the first agricultural business in Spain to have its ESG report verified. “The ESG report is significant because it has demonstrated that all the processes carried out at Primaflor are based on our strategy of sustainability and responsibility,” Mr Peregrin said. An ESG report discloses information covering the organisation's operations and risks in three areas: environmental stewardship, social responsibility and corporate governance. Consumers look to ESG reports to find out if they are supporting a company which has values which align with theirs. Primaflor completed its first ESG report in 2013. As a result of this level of commitment to the development of sustainable policies
Inside food & drink 121
PRIMAFLOR
I PROFILE
in its businesses, in June 2023 Primaflor received the Credit Suisse Sustainability award for the agricultural sector. “For us, it is validation that we are doing something right,” Mr Peregrin reflected. “Sometimes, sustainability might cost money, but as my father, (one of the founders of this company), often said: ‘It is not always about turning a profit:’ and we try to practice that to this day.”
Social sustainability In 2019, the company launched the Primaflor Foundation to undertake outreach projects of general interest, especially for Primaflor employees and their families. “Last year, we gave a grant to ten of our workers’ children to buy books,” Mr Peregrin said. “This year, we are doing it again and we're going to extend the amount of money, as well as involving the directors of the schools here in Pulpí.” The foundation is also involved in initiatives that encourage the selfsufficient cultivation of crops. Though it may initially appear counterproductive to the company’s business interests, such a scheme is very much in-line with the Primaflor ethos of prioritising community over profit. Subsequently, during the Covid pandemic, it donated land to local families to grow their own food.
122 Inside food & drink
Cecilio Peregrin, Corporate Director
The company provides soil, water, tech-
supporting the local economy. Primaflor
nical support and seeds for the purpose.
also emphasises the importance of min-
“The only thing they need to provide is
imising its carbon footprint in fields and
their work” Mr Peregrin explained, “and
factories by upholding tight regulations.
the only thing they have to do is to work
But for Mr Peregrin, it is not the awards
on that small field to get products for
and the success that matter so much.
themselves. Every year, we do a small
Primaflor began as a family firm, and
check-in to make sure everything is
ultimately remains one. “My father, the
being kept ok.”
co-founder, was 95 when he died,” he
In the midst of the pandemic, Primaflor
concluded, “and he came here pretty much
also ensured supermarket shelves
every day. He was always emphasising
remained stocked with its products.
the importance of looking after people,
“We had a commitment to society to
rather than only focusing on profits.
provide food,” said Mr Peregrin, “but we
“So this is the aspect of the work that
invested in safety too. We used three times
now excites me most. To see the smile of
the normal number of buses to transport our
a child is really better than anything, and,
workers with sufficient space, for example.”
as my father used to do, I love walking around and greeting everyone. My father
A family affair
and I share the same name and the street
The company maintains a robust, local
the company is on is now named after
supply chain, with 50% of suppliers
him. It is fantastic to be able to continue
located in a radius under 50km, thereby
his legacy.”
n Inside food & drink 123