Javier Carmona Pradal, marketing director at Bollo Natural Fruits, tells us how they take care of their brand and how they are evolving in products such as citrus.
By José Esteban Ruiz Álvarez, agri‑food journalist.
Bollo has managed to position its brand for consumers as a benchmark of quality. How do you take care of your processes so that the best citrus reaches consumers’ tables and you continue earning their trust?
The Bollo brand is already a guarantee of quality. It has been for the past 100 years, although melons have always received more attention. But we studied it in depth and realized that this could be extended to the rest of our products, such as citrus. That is why we decided to extend the strict premium‑fruit quality standard to the rest of our products. Our level of demand is very high. We take great care of our product, and only fruit that meets the highest quality criteria is marketed under our brand.
“We believe there is a market niche in Germany willing to pay more for fruit with quality and flavor.”
What strategy have you set for this new year to continue advancing in the international market?
Both our national and international strategy are linked to growth based on expanding our portfolio. What we want is to be the solution for our clients and suppliers with high‑quality fruit. As far as possible, we incorporate new products, such as our citrus brand, the introduction of pineapple, and fourth‑range products with Bollo and Bruñó. Now we are going to double our capacity in organic citrus.
“In terms of volume, our star product is citrus.”
Where are you growing the most?
Our brand‑extension project goes beyond our borders. We have had great success with the promotions we have carried out in the south of France. We believe that in Germany, beyond the discount and high‑turnover public, there is a market niche—consumers who are willing to pay for a product of maximum quality and flavor.
In Spain, we work with the main retailers. But to continue growing, we are also betting on the traditional channel, with greengrocers where our brand is present. Our intention is that they can have the entire Bollo portfolio and offer their end customers the highest fruit quality.
What is your star product?
In terms of brand recognition, melon is widely known. However, in terms of volume, our star product is citrus.
Give us an overview of how the season is going so far in Spain.
The citrus season arrived late and with a slow harvest, which kept the market tense for a while. But what concerns us is the quality of the fruit. What we want is to achieve results—in quality and volume—equal to last year across all our products. We are seeing notable growth in the market for fruit halves, an option we can supply thanks to our fourth‑range processing plant.
