The trend towards the consumption of more natural and healthier food products and beverages has boosted the interest in organic lemon products, which has resulted in Citrusvil innovating and diversifying its offer.
In a market where quality and sustainability are increasingly valued, Citrusvil stands out as a strategic partner for companies which look for natural, safe and certified products which are a clear response to the current consumer demand.
By means of the work we have been carrying out for several years and the acquisition of technical knowledge in organic production, we managed to obtain concrete results in terms of the increase of production levels and greater efficiency levels.
“In 2024, we managed to have our first season of certified organic production in La Ramada, a company’s orchard which has 230 hectares. This change was the result of great learning, which involved consulting experts and transforming the production culture related to the conventional matrix. The conditions are ripe for, upon demand, incorporating another unit which enables us to reach 500 productive hectares. This way, our organic production would reach 8% in our production universe,” stated Juan Altamiranda, Primary Production Manager.
Challenge and Performance
Even though conventional and organic production involve different techniques, they are both aimed at obtaining a sustainable product in the company, in keeping with the market requirements.
“There is a common misunderstanding which consists in relating organic crops with abandoned fields or low production expectations. We aim at a state-of-the-art technology, which is already available in the world and which combines productivity with quality in accordance with the organic standard,” emphasized Altamiranda.
“The team is technically qualified and this enables us to have a different commercial approach since organic products have greater value in comparison with conventional products. Our big challenge consists in finding markets which are willing to pay this value,” reflected the Primary Production Manager, who added: “we are capable of producing organic lemons because the world is moving towards that direction, and our company, having a yield of 50-55 tons of organic lemon per hectare, is ready to meet the demand as soon as this opportunity arises.”
Response to the Demand
“The demand for organic lemon is growing, and, in our case (industrial products), we are increasing our sales volumes and we expect to keep on this path of continuous improvement,” said Alex Nolte, Global Commercial Manager.
With a positive perspective about the sector pace, Alex stated: “With regard to 2023 sales, we have doubled our volumes. At the beginning, we had to make the world get to know our product, which was a slow task which is now bearing fruit. We are having a positive response in terms of organic concentrated juice sales in the different markets where we participate.”