-The only secret is to do things by hand and in the traditional way, that is to say as our ancestors taught us. It is very important to pamper the product. Each piece is worked on one by one. Everything is kept individually. We must also take into account the fact that in addition to being industrialists, we are breeders. We have our own pigs, which means we don’t have to buy anything from outside. Over the years, we have selected the animals that we liked the most. To do this, the butt must be round so that the ham comes out prettier and more delicious.
-What does it mean for a company like yours to win this award?
-This means having a big impact nationally and internationally. We are placing more and more orders with new customers. This price is a great showcase in the world, as well as recognition of the work of our entire team. It means we’re doing things right.
-What is the origin of the Agroibérica company?
-My grandfather and his brother arrived in this area in the 50s since Guijuelo (Salamanca) to buy pigs and carry out all types of commercial exchanges. Their desire was to build a drying facility and they chose to do so in Pozoblanco since one did not exist at that time. My grandfather was also one of the promoters of the Los Pedroches Protected Designation of Origin. The original name of the company was Malcani.
-How many animals do they sacrifice per year?
– Every year, we will kill between one thousand five hundred and two thousand pigs, one hundred percent of which are acorn-fed, free-range Iberian pigs. Our facilities are located at Pozoblancohave four floors and their area reaches four thousand square meters. Stands out for the capacity of our warehouse, which can store up to thirty thousand pieces, which accumulate from one year to the next. There are eleven people on staff.
-What are the main markets?
-The domestic market is the most important for us. We have done something outside of Spain, in countries like Brazil or Englandbut the results were not as expected. However, we have orders from regions like Italy, Portugal or France. We have started to do something in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands, but we don’t want to expand too much because almost all our production is already sold. We are strong in Madrid, Levante, Albacete or Cantabria. In Spain we intend to enter the Balearic Islands and the Basque Country, which stands out for being one of the great references of gastronomy.
“The Christmas campaign represents 40% of turnover, and in recent years it has become more and more advanced”
-What weight does Internet sales have in your business?
-The pandemic has been a very difficult time, as it has greatly affected the hospitality sector, one of our main clients, and many events have been suspended. This led to an increase in sales to individuals, which boosted the marketing via the Internet and the appearance and promotion of new packaging, such as slice packaging, which is fashionable because its use is very convenient for buyers. In our case, we started selling through our website a few years before Covid. We started with few orders, but from 2018 it started stronger and the most significant growth occurred during the pandemic.
-How is the Christmas campaign presented?
-For us, this represents around forty percent of our turnover. What we have noticed in recent years is that the campaign is becoming more and more advanced. It used to start in November and currently we are already receiving orders in September. The outlook this year is good. I warn regular customers that we have few kinds left, especially palletswhich allowed orders to be closed more quickly.
-What is the price situation compared to last year?
-They haven’t increased much. We must take into account the increase in production costs due to the war in Ukraineespecially those that refer to the food used to feed animals. The lack of water in the region has also been noted in recent years. In this way, the increase in prices that may have occurred is a consequence of this increase in expenses.
-What predictions do you have for the current mountain?
-They are good. Fortunately, in March there was very significant rainfall after fourteen months of drought.
