Rain has been a key factor this year in the start of the white asparagus season along the banks of the Ebro River, which began a bit later than in previous years. “In our case, we started the season with the first harvests about twenty days ago, but we’re a lucky company — 95% of the area under the PGI ‘Asparagus of Navarre’ is only just beginning to be harvested today due to the rainfall.”
“We were fortunate enough to be able to ridge the beds and prepare the asparagus before the rain prevented us from working the soil, and these 20 days of early harvesting have been very beneficial for the marketing of our asparagus.”
“This year, production should be similar to last year, with fairly good calibres that will continue to improve as the season progresses. This is very positive, since size is one of the most important and valued factors for both customers and chefs when it comes to fresh asparagus.”
“In terms of demand, we’re seeing another relatively good year. Easter is usually a bit tricky for fresh products because many shops are closed during the holidays, and with the current economic situation, it’s difficult to sell asparagus at the price we would like. Nevertheless, we’re quite satisfied with our current position and, once again this year, we are able to defend the price of our high-quality product against the pricing strategies of large supermarket chains.”
Espárrago de Novillas sells its production in Spain “to fruit and vegetable wholesalers and high-end restaurants, including several Michelin-starred ones. However, each year at the beginning of the season, we receive many calls from people interested in importing our asparagus, as demand in Europe is more than promising.”
It’s worth noting that Germany is the largest importer of asparagus in the EU-27, with a high level of consumption. “We are a family-run business, and so far we’ve focused on the Spanish market, but we’re growing year by year and we’re not ruling out exporting in the future.”
“We grow Grolim and Herkolim varieties, which allow us to harvest very large, high-quality asparagus throughout the season. We also market under two labels, Reyno Gourmet and Aragon Alimentos Nobles, both of which guarantee the superior quality of our products and give us strong market prospects. Moreover, although we started earlier than other growers this year, the season overall began later, which could allow us to extend our production into June.”
For more information:
Espárragos de Novillas
C/ Francisco de Goya 24, CP50530 Novillas (Zaragoza)
Tel.: +34 676 257 389
esparragodenovillas@gmail.com
https://esparragodenovillas.com/
