Post-harvest specialist Citrosol’s overseas expansion is set to step up a gear in 2017 following news that the company’s South African division will become operational.
“We’re already working with a couple of big citrus producers in South Africa and hope to see major growth in this market in the coming years,” CEO Benito Orihuel told Fruitnet.
The development of more efficient products is a never-ending quest for Orihuel. “There is a huge amount of variability in agriculture – fruit on the side of a tree facing south will grow at a different rate to fruit facing north, for example,” he explained.
“When you factor in the variables during the packing stage, this creates even more uncertainty. Our systems are designed to eliminate these variables as much as possible.”
Orihuel has long argued that Citrosol sells results, rather than products and based on the company’s growth trajectory in the past decade it is clear that its systems really do deliver. Sales have risen from €8m in 2008 to €19m last year – with Peru, Egypt and Spain currently the three fastest growing markets. The company’s products are widely used across the Mediterranean region, as well as in South America and Australia.
The range of treatments being developed for different products is also increasing, with solutions now available for avocados, tomatoes, peppers, garlic and sweet potatoes as well as citrus. The recent opening of a new R&D centre at its headquarters in Potríes, south of Valencia will ensure a steady flow of new solutions in the years ahead.
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