The smart farming pioneers at Veracruz Almonds are poised for international growth, as they seek to expand exports into the UK following GlobalGAP accreditation.
The highly-regarded certification is a trademark and set of standards for good agricultural practices and demonstrates on-farm food safety and sustainability. It is a seal of excellence for the entire production process, from food hygiene and safety, to water efficiency, waste management and worker welfare.
As Veracruz Almonds plans to export around 80% of its produce to international markets, the accreditation marks a vital stage in the firm’s growth plans, enabling them to sell their almonds to both local and international markets.
The accreditation follows a 50-million-euro investment, which will see Veracruz Almonds open a state-of-the-art production facility in Portugal next year. The new factory, will use the very latest smart farming tools, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning, to champion sustainability, water and waste reduction and traceability.
David Carvalho, founder and CEO of Veracruz Almonds, said: “Securing the GlobalGAP certification is an important step forward in our ambitious growth plans. It not only validates our innovation-driven production process and sustainability efforts, but also enables us to enter new, global markets as we significantly ramp up our exports.
“As we bring our fresh and tasty Mediterranean varieties of almonds to the UK, this certification gives the food industry, retailers and consumers the confidence that their almonds come from the most secure and sustainable production process.
“With consumers increasingly aware of the field to fork journey of their food, we felt this was a vital certification to secure to demonstrate the end-to-end transparency of our production processes. We look forward to sharing our delicious Mediterranean almonds with UK consumers soon.”
