'Disfruta i Verdura', freshen up the big cities

Cambrils (ACN). Living in big cities like Barcelona or Madrid is no longer an obstacle for those who want to eat healthy and fresh vegetables harvested from the orchards every day. New technologies have allowed farmers to offer on site products to their customers living in the capitals. Four years ago, the families Barrabeig and Barraquer, from Cambrils, in southern Catalonia, initiated a business that at present delivers 3.000 cases of fruit and vegetables to homes every month.

The company, named 'Disfruta i Verdura' has about thirty workers and has offices in Barcelona, Madrid and Andorra. Its philosophy is 'quality and quick delivery'. They cultivate about 50 hectares of land with a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. Produce harvested on the day arrives on clients' tables the following day. The site where cases are prepared for delivery is very close to the orchard.

Most of the clients of 'Disfruta i Verdura' live in large cities such as Barcelona or Madrid, but all the products are cultivated in Cambrils, in southern Catalonia. In an area close to the sea, surrounded by Mediterranean pines, the company grows both local and foreign varieties. The farmers are members of the family that owns the business and have been cultivating the land for the last three generations. However, faced with the challenges of the slowly shrinking agricultural sector, they decided to focus on a quality business adapted to the needs of the 21^st century.  

The manager of 'Disfruta i Verdura', Ernest Mas, explained to the CNA that the values of their products are 'quality, freshness and the harvesting of produce the day before it arrive at homes'. According to Mas, the company decides eight months in advance what they are going to be growing. They also decide what selection of produce will go in each case in order to have variety as well as products of the season that create an interesting mix to be eaten.

The company 'never stops innovating', said Mas, who explained that 'Disfruta i Verdura' analyses which vegetable and fruit varieties are better adapted to the territory as well as which products are more in demand by consumers. They aim to become a completely organic farm. Another of their unique features is the innovation and promotion of local varieties, like yellow peppers, or as yet unknown products, like some oriental shoots.

 The business is successful. The quality and the service they offer have won them a large client base with their only communication strategy being word of mouth. All other forms of publicity has been avoided by the company. The clients can order the food over the phone or through the Internet. Customers can choose between a wide range of cases of fruits and vegetables, adapted to their needs and preferences. They can also choose how often they want the delivery.  

 'Disfruta i Verdura' work hard every day so that cabbage, lettuce, Swiss chard, and all varieties of vegetables and fruits cultivated at the rural areas of Tarragona can be available on the tables of the big capital cities.