Catalonia has never stood out for potato cultivation. The quality of the land and the weather, which is prone to frost and extreme heat, make its exploitation unprofitable. However, the growing interest in local food has led the Torribas company, a historic distribution company, to promote potato cultivation in different regions of the territory.
"After several years of testing, this year we have achieved the first harvest of potatoes in Baix Ebre, Baix Camp, Baix Penedès, Vallès Oriental, Maresme, Selva, La Noguera and Cerdanya", comments Borja Casamitjana, fourth generation of the family in in front of the company.
Throughout this time, Torribas has carried out a study of the seed market and has chosen those that best match the varieties that were historically grown in Catalonia. “We buy the seeds from Dutch producers, who have improved their qualities. Then we rent the land to Catalan farmers, we supervise the production and take care of its sale”, says Casamitjana, who runs the business together with her sister Sandra and her father and her uncle, Francesc and Josep.
Apart from this new bet, the bulk of the business is in the wholesale distribution of potatoes, onions, garlic and sweet potatoes. It is an activity that Torribas began at the beginning of the 20th century, taking the Figueres onion to the Born market, and that has gained dimension over time.
Currently, the company has its headquarters in Mercabarna, buys the products from third parties or obtains them under the same formula as Catalan potatoes (buying the seed, renting the land, supervising production and selling it). Suppliers come mainly from Murcia, Castile and France, where potato growing conditions are better.
Its clients include supermarket chains, municipal market retailers, distributors and industrial companies that make ready meals, mainly from Catalonia (70%), from the rest of Spain and France. The business allowed the company to bill 55 million and obtain 3 million gross profit (ebitda), two figures that are stable over time and that this year it plans to maintain.
In the future, Torribas wants to increase the cultivation of Catalan potatoes – which he channels through the subsidiary CatOrigen – and also promote a division of pre-cooked potatoes. “We have launched the Patmicro brand, which offers potatoes ready to cook in the microwave and eat. We want to increase the volume and diversify the offer”. To do this, Torribas plans to remodel the Mercabarna warehouse, where a hundred workers work.
