2023-04-24 17:03:58
Consume local food and organic production it has multiple advantages, and more and more consumers are in the habit of looking at the label to check the origin of any product. Each for a different reason: quality, health, environmental protection or supporting the rural environment in their territory. Or for all at once. In any case, there is one thing that is clear, and that is that for local products to be found in stores they must exist local producers, who must be cared for and promoted. That’s why BBVA has called together with El Celler de Can Roca the fourth edition of the BBVA Awards for the Best Sustainable Producers.
These awards seek to recognize those rhobbyists, farmers and food producers who bet on methods that contribute to sustainable development. For example, with the restoration of artisanal practices, the recovery of crops, the reduction of the carbon footprint, the promotion of energy and water efficiency measures, the management of waste, the protection of biodiversity or the fixation of sites quality work and population, among others. All in all, the impetus of the rural environment. Winners not only get wide visibility, but eThe product becomes part of a recipe developed by the Roca brothers. So far, 26 producers have been put on this map as a result of the three editions carried out.
A recognition to those producers who have achieved balance economic and environmental sustainability. In other words, starting a business that is not only profitable, but is also having a positive impact on its environment and demonstrating that organic food production can serve as a lever for social improvement of rural areas and environmental protection. The fourth edition of the competition, whose term ends on May 26, wants to follow the line started with the previous calls, and which has already served to give an important boost to projects marked by their positive values.
Dairy products as before
One of the winners of last year’s edition was El Cantero de Letur, an organic dairy run by Pablo Cuervo-Arango to Letur (Albacete) which recovers traditional ways of farming and artisanal productions, does not add any additives to its dairy products and cares about welfare of their cows, goats and sheep. “We have gained a lot of visibility since he received the award, it has been noticed”, says Cuervo-Arango, head of the company since 1999, when he took his father’s testimony: “It started in 1990 with the dream of create an organic cheese factory, when there were not even certifications, with the aim of revitalizing the area and dealing with the unrestrained industrialization of the food sector”.
The road was hard at the beginning, but since then El Cantero de Letur has not stopped evolving and growing, always with a primary value: “We put a lot of care and affection into everything we do, both in the treatment of our animals and in the preparation of our yogurts, kefirs, smoothies or cheeses”, explains the owner, who emphasizes that his activity is governed by threefold respect: the environment, fair working conditions and the territory. In this sense, it seems that his father’s original objective has been more than fulfilled, since many families have been able to stay in the village, they have revitalized the school and even promoted projects such as Letur Repuebla, with the construction of a housing building to accommodate people who want to work in the area.
Over time, they have implemented measures that further reduce their environmental impact, such as water reuse or self-consumption of electricity. However, the main reason why they have more and more customers is something a little more basic and universal: taste. “Quality remains our main argument, because we make products that only use traditional ingredients and no additives or chemicals. And this is noticeable. In addition, sheep’s and goat’s milk are more digestible than cow’s milk and have more properties”, emphasizes Pablo Cuervo, who fully justifies the slightly higher price that an organic yogurt can have compared to the industrial ones: “It is not only the what do you see but everything behind it, how we do things. When you see a product with a very low price, don’t doubt that there is someone who is suffering because it is so”.
Eggs that change the system
In the same line is expressed Enedina Gonzalez, manager of Ecogranja La Pradera de Orgaz (Toledo), another winner of the 2022 edition of the BBVA Best Sustainable Producers Awards. In this case, they focus on a single product, organic eggs, and the start of their business also responds to a father’s dream: “My father used to raise laying hens as a hobby, and when the family and I returned from Venezuela to Spain, come on deciding to start a project, but with the aim that it would not only be economically profitable, but also have a positive impact on the planet and the local economy. And in which we care about the well-being of each and every animal”, he details.
The egg is a product of mass consumption in Spain – from one to two newspapers per person – and which has suffered during the last decades an unstoppable process of industrialization and massification, so for the González family it meant a good starting point to “change things” and demonstrate that an economically successful product can be produced from “from a network of small farms close to a large urban center where the welfare of the hens, the quality of the product and the environmental commitment are taken into account”.
Thus, a Ecogranja La Pradera adds to all the requirements necessary for an egg to obtain the organic certificate an extra of sustainability, as they aim to achieve carbon neutrality through the use of renewable energy, an electric transport fleet and compensation mechanisms. In addition to betting on a model based on small farms that drive local development. More than enough reasons to receive one of the BBVA Best Sustainable Producers Awards. “It was a boost of energy, because it not only gave us visibility, but also the certainty that we must go ahead with our project”, explains Enedina González, who adds that they are already looking to expand the network of farms with · collaborators
In this sense, these awards want to represent a before and after for producers, but also for the whole society. Because having producers capable of producing food in a sustainable way, with a positive impact on their territories and, moreover, with a quality that is evident from the first bite is still a real privilege, of which everyone in we benefit.
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