Patatas Meléndez, vallisoletana the leading company in the field of potato fresh, closed last year with a turnover of 104 million euros, representing an increase of 17% over the previous year.
This increase was mainly due to the increase in consumption during the pandemic and the increase in the client portfolio. The company has been maintaining constant sales growth in recent years. Specifically, in the last five years, it has doubled its turnover.
The positive evolution of sales has also been reflected in the labor field. Last year ended with an increase in the workforce of more than 60 people, favoring the incorporation of highly qualified positions for young people and women. It also highlights that most of its professionals come from municipalities around Medina del Campo, which is a commitment to curbing the depopulation of rural areas.
Meléndez has also increased its presence in other countries. In the last year, the sale of potatoes abroad has increased by 1%. The most outstanding thing is that, in the last year, new countries have been opened for the commercialization of your product.
Patatas Meléndez is a family business with more than 20 years of experience. Located in Medina del Campo, in the province of Valladolid in northwest Spain, Meléndez’s facilities include 30.000 square meters where the company markets 180 million kg of potatoes a year.
The company’s strategy is based on a close relationship with its producers, preserving the tradition and knowledge of farmers while incorporating the latest technological innovations in the processes of washing, sorting and packaging of potatoes. With its own Agricultural Scheme, Meléndez has contributed to the professionalisation of the potato sector by directly working with more than 500 farmers to whom it advises on the most demanded varieties and growing methods.
Digitization
This past year, Patatas Meléndez is immersed in a process of digitization of all its facilities and processes. It is a global transformation of all processes. The objective of the company is to build a ‘blockchain’ of potato production . This Project, with a global investment of 32 million euros, involves the digitization of the crop, the use of green energy, the reduction of the use of plastics in containers and packaging, as well as an efficient use of water , reducing the water footprint.
This process will culminate, in the last quarter of 2022, with the start-up of a new 21,000-square-meter factory next to its current facilities in Medina del Campo. This new plant will incorporate all the technological innovations available on the market, robotization, automation of processes through the Internet of Things. The application of all the improvements that Big Data allows. As well as the incorporation of new possibilities of potato selection through Artificial Intelligence and Learning Machine.
“The challenge of this digitization process, from the field to the distribution shelves, is to bet on a greater professionalization of potato cultivation . The objective is to offer the highest quality potato and for the consumer to know all the traceability of the production process ”, highlighted Javier Meléndez, CEO of the company.
Fresh potato
Patatas Meléndez has been, since the middle of May, in the middle of the marketing season of its fresh potato grown by Spanish farmers. The company, through its R + D + i department, has planned various harvests in the national territory, selecting, from an agronomic point of view, the most suitable potato varieties for each field, which offers a higher yield for the Spanish farmer and guarantees the consumer a fresh, natural and Spanish potato throughout the year.
“This plan allows the consumer to enjoy a new potato that has been harvested just 24 hours before reaching their table, farmers in Spain benefit from its sale , and we also collaborate with the maintenance of the planet, by reducing product displacements reduce CO2 emissions and thus the carbon footprint ”, assured Meléndez.
