Keeping fresh produce cold, still without internet: unique challenges for businesses in blackout

The day after.

Catalonia is dusting itself off and getting back to normal one day on from one of the strangest mass events in living memory.

Many parts of the country didn't recover power until midnight, as is the case in Manresa.

In the central Catalan city, the blackout is already in the past, barring a few last hiccups, such as some businesses not yet having internet connection, as is the case of the Llibreria Parcir book store.

Its owner, Antoni Daura, told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) that without connection, they cannot consult their catalogue and customers can't pay by card.

"The vulnerability is so extreme, nowadays without electricity and internet we have no ability to move," he laments.

During the blackout, some establishments decided to close up for the day when they saw they could not work in normal conditions, while others tried to keep products fresh.

For the Ribalta butchers, the power outage provided a tricky obstacle, and the workforce concentrated their efforts on keeping the cold room cold.

"We entered the room really quickly to avoid opening the door many times, and nothing was damaged," explains Francesc Ribalta.

In their case, the power didn't come back on until 11.30 pm. "We held on as long as we could," Ribalta said.

He says that one of the things that made him "angry" was seeing that power came back on in the street next to his by 7.30 pm, but not in his area. "I thought, oh my god, what bad luck."

La Barceloneta market

Sellers of fresh fish and meat in the La Barceloneta market also experienced various disruptions because of the blackout.

Some merchants were unable to bring in new fresh produce due to the lack of connectivity, others had difficulty getting home after their work shift ended, while the mood was one of vulnerability and suspicion related to the cause.  

Verònica, from the La Vero fish shop in the market, said Tuesday's offering for her customers was not the same as normal, as she buys her produce from the auction from Sant Carles de la Ràpita, and the internet cut out just as she connected. 

She was left with "little" fish on offer, from what she could buy in Mercabarna. "I'm also worried about the frozen products I had loaded on Saturday. It's a nightmare," she said. "Small businesses suffer a lot when things like this happen."

Her sales have been affected somewhat as what she's been able to sell has only been what's to eat on the day, rather than any produce that will stay fresh for the rest of the week. 

"I'm a worrier, and I have a very strange feeling of vulnerability, that they can do whatever they want to you when there's no electricity, without anything, and it scared me."

Pedro, from Carns Batllori, selling fresh meat and poultry in the same market, said that luckily his products weren't affected at all and the impact on his business was "minimal," but he did point out that the blackout "caused mobility problems for those of us who don't live in La Barceloneta, making it hard to leave."

He was suspicious about the causes of the blackout, and speculated that it was not an accident. "To me, the whole thing feels like it was caused by someone," he told Catalan News. "I don’t think it was something that just happened because it had to happen."

Meanwhile, Montse from La Platjeta said the day was "terrible for everyone." At her fighmonger stall, they sell fish caught locally, meaning her business on Tuesday was harmed by not being able to make contact with fishers and sellers on Monday. 

"We couldn't talk to anyone, the auction wasn't working, the fish market wasn't working, the phones weren't working," she told Catalan News. "We were a bit stunned, we didn't understand what was happening." 

For some products she wanted to sell, she had to go to the Mercabarna wholesalers earlier than usual, making the trip at 2 am instead of 4 am, but it all meant that Tuesday turned out to be a "normal day" after the "anxiety" felt on Monday.

Most of all, Montse felt worried for the elderly people. "All these clients and our neighbors who were left isolated, who are alone, many grandparents left alone, it was terrible."

"Many people were stuck in elevators, and if you're young, you take it one way or another. But older people, especially the elderly, are so vulnerable and terrified. Today, not one of them came down," she said.

No major incidents at Mercabarna

Mercabarna, Barcelona's largest wholesale distributer of fresh produce, overcame the power outage on Monday without any major incidents.

When the power went out, the fish market had already closed as normal, and the fruit market had already completed 85% of its business as Monday is its busiest day of the week.

Fish wholesalers did notice a slight drop in sales of around 15% on Tuesday due to previous orders that could not be placed by phone due to the lack of communications.

“Considering the seriousness of the situation, the behavior and logistics were normal because the fish and fruit markets are daytime and because the power was restored very quickly,” says Pablo Vilanova, general manager of Mercabarna.