Spain’s Potato Sector Targets Storage and Processing Upgrades as Castilla y León Launches Quality Brand and Udapa Builds Year-Round Storage Facility
Spain’s potato sector is advancing on two fronts: regional efforts to add value through origin labeling, and private investment in cutting-edge storage and processing infrastructure. In Castilla y León — which produces roughly half of Spain’s 1.94 million tonnes — the regional government announced plans for a new quality brand to identify local potatoes, differentiate them in the market, and capture more value for farmers. The initiative comes as the region’s planted area fell 14% to about 16,679 hectares in 2026, compounded by heatwaves that concentrated harvest dates and coincided with imported product flooding the market. The Junta is also developing a production cost study with the University of Valladolid to strengthen enforcement of the Food Chain Law and ensure farmers’ costs are reflected in commercial negotiations .
On the infrastructure side, the Basque cooperative Udapa is building its fourth and most technologically advanced plant in Júndiz, with a €14 million investment. The centerpiece is a pioneering storage facility designed to preserve fresh potatoes for up to a full year, from one campaign to the next, supported by Basque government subsidies. The facility will feature artificial vision optical sorting equipment capable of inspecting potatoes directly from the field to eliminate defects and remove low-quality tubers early. Rejected potatoes will be diverted to Udapa’s Paturpat brand, which produces washed, peeled, and cut ready-to-use products. The new plant is expected to be operational by late 2026. Separately, Patatas Meléndez — based in Medina del Campo, Valladolid — is constructing a new plant for fourth-range products (fresh, washed, cut, and ready-to-consume), building on its existing automated packaging lines, optical sorting systems, and AI-driven traceability. The company closed 2024 with €140 million in revenue, a 12% increase, and aims to reinforce its position in the convenience segment .
