Spanish producers have reacted to the information revealed recently by a study regarding the market presence of Spanish apples compared to imports in Spanish stores.
As a result, NUFRI, owner of the largest apple farm in Europe, located in Soria, as well as of plantations across the entire Spanish territory, has launched a campaign to raise consumer awareness about the apples produced in Spain.
It is the first time that a Spanish apple producer launches such a campaign. Over the next two months, all apples marketed under the brands Delissium and Livinda will include on the label one of the 200 most common names in Spain, to demonstrate and advertise their origin, as well as their quality and taste.
Thus, names like Carlos, María, Juan, Carmen, Patxi, Jordi, and so on, will appear on the labels of apples produced in Spain; the goal is for consumers to identify the domestic fruit more easily and highlight the importance of knowing the origin of the products we consume.
In addition to labelling their apples with common Spanish names, Delissium and Livinda apples will also seek to make references to the concept of family, with labels including the words "mum", "dad", "grandpa", "aunt", etc.
"In Spain, unlike in neighbouring countries, we lack interest in finding out the origin of the products we consume. The quality, texture and taste of our apples is absolutely unique, but the consumer does not know they are Spanish, that they were grown in our fields," affirms the director of production and trade at NUFRI, Ignasi Argilés, adding that "growers put a lot of passion and effort in what they do and if the consumer does not appreciate it, all that effort loses its value."
"Since we know that people don't always read the labels, we have decided to name more than 8 million apples with the names of our consumers for the next two months."
A campaign that puts emphasis on the origin
Aware of the importance of advertising the origin of "our apples", the campaign will also encourage consumers to participate in a contest, in which the prize is "a trip to the heart of apples." Thus, the winners will visit the farms located in Lleida and Soria where Delissium and Livinda apples are produced. "We believe it is important for people to become familiar with what's behind a product and the best way to teach them is by showing them how it is produced, but we also trust to be able to have them care for us," adds Argilés.
The campaign will be launched this week with a visit from representatives of the media and bloggers to the plantation of La Rasa, in Soria, coinciding with the start of the blooming. For two days, the guests will be shown around the plantation, which, with more than 620 hectares, is the largest of its kind in Europe.
