Significant €50 million investment sees Veracruz Almonds expand European operations
pic: Veracruz Almonds
Portugal-based Veracruz Almonds has gained a valuable GlobalGAP seal of excellence, as it expands its operations with plans for a €50 million new production facility, with popularity of the nut variety remaining high within confectionery ranges, writes Neill Barston.
Established by David Carvalho and Filipe Rosa in 2017 to drive the market for quality Mediterranean products, the business owns 1,300 hectares of groves in Portugal, and currently produces the Belona, Soleta, Avijor and Guara almond types.
Furthermore it is a member of the European Snacks Association, targeting 80% of its production for export to countries including Spain, Germany, Italy, France, UK and the Netherlands, among others.
The highly-regarded certification is a trademark and set of standards for good agricultural practices and demonstrates on-farm food safety and sustainability. It is a seal of excellence for the entire production process, from food hygiene and safety, to water efficiency, waste management and worker welfare.
Notably, the accreditation follows the major investment into its advanced production facility in Portugal next year. The new factory, will use the very latest smart farming tools, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning, to champion sustainability, water and waste reduction and traceability.
David Carvalho, founder and CEO of Veracruz Almonds, said: “Securing the GlobalGAP certification is an important step forward in our ambitious growth plans. It not only validates our innovation-driven production process and sustainability efforts, but also enables us to enter new, global markets as we significantly ramp up our exports.
“As we bring our fresh and tasty Mediterranean varieties of almonds to the UK, this certification gives the food industry, retailers and consumers the confidence that their almonds come from the most secure and sustainable production process.
“With consumers increasingly aware of the field to fork journey of their food, we felt this was a vital certification to secure to demonstrate the end-to-end transparency of our production processes. We look forward to sharing our delicious Mediterranean almonds with UK consumers soon.”
