Patatas Meléndez, innovation in the day to day

Patatas Meléndez, the company that currently accounts for 20% of the national production has  a priority objective to offer Spanish households a fresh and quality potato of national origin.

The company is in a time of global transformation. Within this action plan is framed the upcoming arrival of Meléndez in Portugal with the creation of a company whose deployment of its activity is imminent. With roots in the Portuguese territory, it will market the country’s potato during the months of production in the neighboring country and will favor European exports.

Meléndez has begun a process of digitization of all its facilities. It is about, as the CEO of the company, Javier Meléndez, who assured that , “to involve farmers in Industry 4.0, in the countryside, as the first link in the value chain. Through this project we will achieve a greater professionalization of potato cultivation and we will offer the best traceability of the producto”

The digitization of Patatas Meléndez will culminate in the launch of a new factory, with more than 21,000 square meters that is being built next to the current facilities in Medina del Campo (Valladolid) and that will be a benchmark in the sector with the most advanced technology. The future of the new facilities will incorporate the digital transformation available on the market with the installation of processes for the use of data, IoT, and learning Machine.

Innovation at the service of the consumer

Patatas Meléndez works constantly to meet the demands of consumers  increasingly demanding with quality, and very concerned about health and the environment.

As a result of this work, the Valladolid company presents at Fruit Attraction the new design of ‘The Queen of potatoes’, the brand with which potatoes are offered, grown by Spanish farmers with sustainable and environmental criteria, with maximum freshness and flavor for satisfy the most demanding palates.

Meléndez also presents its new brand of ready meals, ‘The Melfarm’, at the industry benchmark Fair. A line of products made with potatoes and  which other healthy vegetables such as broccoli, green beans or carrots have been incorporated. A proposal that joins the range of microwaveable products, in which Meléndez offers a potato or sweet potato in a container that allows quick cooking and maintains the organoleptic characteristics of the product. With both lines, the aim is to offer a product that can be quickly prepared for a consumer who spends less time in the kitchen and who cares about quality, health and the environment.

The company presents at Fruit the new line of fresh products made from Jicama, a product qualified by nutrition experts as’ Super Food 2020 ‘for its high content of natural fiber, Vitamin C, and Inulin that acts as a prebiotic, facilitating the digestion of food. The new range is presented in various cut formats, from tortillas, Chips, Noodles, Tacos, Spikes, Mini spikes and Healthy Snacks.

Meléndez’s work in innovation also covers packaging. Meléndez has been betting on smaller, more manageable containers – 3 and 5 kilograms – and more sustainable, biodegradable or reusable. The result of this commitment is the biocompostable bag, unique in the potato sector, which is gradually being incorporated. In addition, at ‘Fruit Attraction’, the company has presented its new packaging, a 100% recyclable bag as it is made with paper from certified responsible sources (FSC), which guarantees that the wood used to make this paper comes from of sustainable forests.