Primaflor

FRESH PRODUCE

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.

Innovation and improvement have always been driving forces at Primaflor. The comp any takes its name from the Spanish for flower, having initially been established for their cultivation and sale. But for the last 40 years, it has provided fresh vegetables that complement the Mediterranean diet, and now does so on a large scale.

This is no mean feat, according to Cecilio Peregrin, Corporate Director: “People think a smart phone is innovative technology. And it is, as a design, and then the smart phone is made by a machine, and it is fine. But innovative technology is also being able to grow multiple heads of lettuce all the same size, or broccoli the same weight and carrots the same colour. The secret is having a fantastic technical team: and to work hard, consistently.”

Fantastic facilities

A t the end of the 2023 financial year, Primaflor reported a turnover close to €187 million, partly thanks to the company scaling-up production extensively in the last decade. “We moved from being producers and growers with some exporting spirit to adopting an industrial mentality,” said Mr Peregrin.

Alongside an extensive 6,000 hectares of fields, Primaflor operates four indoor facilities. One, at its HQ in Pulpí, is for fresh produce and stretches across 10,000 square metres. There is another 4,000 square metre factory specifically for peeled garlic, with an output of 18,000 tonnes per year.

After moving into the prepared salads sector in 2005, the company

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

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,” Mr Peregrin said. 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

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’ chil dren 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.

Cecilio Peregrin, Corporate Director

The company provides soil, water, technical support and seeds for the purpose. “The only thing they need to provide is their work” Mr Peregrin explained. “And the only thing they have to do is to work on that small field to get products for themselves. Every year, we do a small check-in to make sure everything is being kept ok.”

In the midst of the pandemic, Primaflor also ensured supermarket shelves remained stocked with its products. “We had a commitment to society to provide food,” said Mr Peregrin. “But we invested in safety too. We used three times the normal number of buses to transport our workers with sufficient space, for example.”

A family affair

The company maintains a robust, local supply chain, with 50% of suppliers located in a radius under 50km, thereby

supporting the local economy. Primaflor also emphasises the importance of minimising its carbon footprint in fields and factories by upholding tight regulations.

But for Mr Peregrin, it is not the awards and the success that matter so much. Primaflor began as a family firm, and ultimately remains one. “My father, the co-founder, was 95 when he died,” he concluded. “And he came here pretty much every day. He was always emphasising the importance of looking after people, rather than only focusing on profits.

“So this is the aspect of the work that now excites me most. To see the smile of a child is really better than anything. And, as my father used to do, I love walking around and greeting everyone. My father and I share the same name and the street the company is on is now named after him. It is fantastic to be able to continue his legacy.” n