Fontestad has completed the reconstruction of its 45,000m2 packhouse in Museros, Valencia, two years after it was destroyed by fire. The Spanish citrus grower-exporter said the new facility is currently undergoing a period of testing and is expected to be fully operational by the time the new citrus season gets underway in September.
Following the fire, the company was forced to switch its operations to a packhouse in La Pobla de Farnals and rent part of Anecoop’s facility in nearby Torrent.
The fire, which is believed to have been started accidentally, swept through €21m warehouse, destroying some 10,000 tonnes of citrus, equivalent to around one tenth of the company’s annual output. Only the offices and laboratory were spared.
Fontestad said the new facility has been constructed using modular concrete that is better able to withstand fire, and houses state-of-the-art sorting and packing machinery.