The goodness of tomatoes CONESA

THE GOODNESS OF TOMATOES

Written by Romana Moares

With its worldwide footprint CONESA Group, the leading European tomato processor, remains unshaken by the Covid-19 pandemic. Faced with rising consumption, the company is set to meet the demand for high-quality tomato products.

The global tomato processing market is recording the rising production as well as consumption of processed tomatoes. In 2020, 42 million tonnes of processed tomatoes were consumed globally. This consumption is expected to grow further, growing at a CAGR of 3.8% in the forecast period of 2021-2026, to attain 51 million tonnes in 2026. The trend is welcomed by tomato processors, who are ready to respond to the rising trend of healthy eating accentuated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Spanish CONESA Group is the leader in the tomato processing sector in Europe, with an input capacity of around 25,000 tonnes of fresh tomatoes per day resulting in a total volume of close to one million tonnes of fresh tomatoes processed per campaign. This also makes the company one of the top five companies worldwide in terms of fresh tomato processing volume.

Founded in 1976 as “Conservas Vegetales de Extremadura” with wholly private capital, CONESA has experienced dynamic growth throughout its history, which has accelerated in the last five years as result of several important acquisitions on a global scale.

Today, the family-owned company based in Las Vegas Bajas del Guadiana, in the province of Badajoz, in south-western Spain, runs multiple production facilities on three continents. Spain, Portugal, China and the United States are four of the most important countries in the tomato sector in which the company is present.

Close Connections

With growing public awareness of food quality and rising interest in product origin (traceability) as well as in the hygiene standards and the actual manufacturing process employed for food production, pressure on food producers is increasing.

CONESA’s Agricultural Department, aware of this market trend, maintains direct contact with farmers and tomato growers to make

sure that the supply chain runs smoothly and efficiently, with the aim of supplying fresh tomatoes of the highest quality in quantities suited to each factory’s capacity.

The company covers the full scope of tomato products, says Mr Manuel Vázquez, CEO of the CONESA Group. “In the first processing category, we cover the full range including highly concentrated products (paste from 22/24 brix to 36/38 brix with many different specifications), low brix products (passata and crushed tomatoes from 06/08 brix to 14/16 brix), diced tomatoes of different sizes and tomato powder.

“The second processing, i.e. finished products, covers different types of tomato sauces, ketchup, crushed tomatoes (tomato triturado for the Spanish market), tomato frito and similar,” he continues, pointing out that the very breadth of the product portfolio constitutes a significant competitive advantage, supported by the different packaging options and the ability to meet individual customer’s needs.

The company has recently invested in its R&D and expanded the range of products to include a wide variety of sauces as well as other canned vegetables.

Quality and Service

The pandemic has undoubtedly impacted the usual practices of factories, by imposing demanding and restrictive operating rules to guarantee the best health and safety conditions for all the personnel involved, but also for the products themselves and for the entire supply chain, from the field to the end-consumer.

It has also profoundly changed the context – in the strictest sense – of companies, which are launching into the season with stockyards and stores almost devoid of stocks from previous seasons. According to the actual comments of local operators, the exceptional demand recorded during the crisis, in particular during the harshest months of confinement (March and April) reduced the quantities of products available to the most meagre level.

“We have not experienced such a situation for many years,” confirms Manuel Vázquez Calleja. “Consumption increased dramatically in March and April, then stabilised in May and June, although demand remained strong, meaning that at that stage there was no longer any product in stock, as all the products had been sold.”

The increase in demand has also resulted in a 10% to 15% increase in the price of products, compared to the reference value. This progression is good news for the industry, reflects Mr Vázquez, affirming that going forward, CONESA will stick to the principles that have supported its growth.

“We will continue working under the principles of quality and service, our main goal being to improve and introduce cutting-edge technology in the area of tomato growing, processing and transformation and our new products, working under the principles of quality and service. The result is a guarantee of high-quality products to meet our customers’ and the market’s needs.” n