Category: Uncategorized

Golden, one of the most appreciated apples by consumers

According to the Report on Food Consumption in Spain 2022 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), apples are one of the most consumed fresh fruits in Spain, ranking among the five major apple-producing countries in the EU-27. As for Catalan production, most of the total production of table apples is produced in Catalonia, with Lleida and Girona being the main production regions, followed by Tarragona and Barcelona (MAPA, 2023).

As for the Golden, it is one of the most cultivated varieties worldwide, due to its quality characteristics and its ability to adapt to any kind of soil, as well as its good cold storage.

The Golden is a smooth-skinned, greenish-yellow apple with a slight golden hue, round in shape and medium to large in size. Its texture is crunchy, juicy and smooth, and its flesh is white and consistent. It is characterized by a high sugar content and low acid content, and is very aromatic. Its optimum harvest time is in early September, and it can be found throughout the year, since it stands out for its good preservation.

Anglès

Golden is one of the varieties that Giropoma produces and markets under the umbrella of the Protected Geographical Indication Poma de Girona, a seal of international recognition, product differentiation, evidence of quality and link to the territory.

It is an ideal apple to eat fresh, to make juices and cakes or to add to salads, and it is also a very good choice for baking.

PICKBEST project, determination of the optimal harvest time to satisfy the consumer and adapt to new preservation technologies

Giropoma Costa Brava S.L., together with Girona Fruits SCCL and Fructícola Empordà S.L; and with the participation of IRTA as a technological center; is working on the determination of the optimal harvest time of yellow “Golden” and red apples of the “Gala” group to satisfy the consumer and to adapt to the new preservation technologies (PICKBEST). The preferences of apple consumers have been changing over time, towards apples with more color and maturity.

To this trend we have to add the emergence of the application of 1-MCP as well as long shelf life preservation with dynamic atmosphere systems.

All these changes create the need to define new pre-harvest and postharvest parameters to obtain apples that adapt to the new consumption trends. The main objective of PICKBEST will respond to this need through the following specific objectives:

  • Establish harvesting parameters that maximize consumer satisfaction under the technical itinerary marked by new technologies.
  • To develop tools and a visual scale of red tone, in the case of “GALA” clones, to determine the optimal harvest time based on the established harvest parameters.

PICKBEST is framed within the aid provided by the Operational Groups of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) for agricultural productivity and sustainability, financed by the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

 

“Project funded through the Operation 16.01.01 Cooperation for Innovation of the Rural Development Program of Catalonia 2014-2022.”

accioclimatica_h3

 

 

Logo_FEADER Europa inverteix en les zones rurals

Giropoma is committed to energy self-consumption, thanks to an installed capacity of 550 kW of solar panels

At Giropoma we are committed to green energy and sustainable production. Currently, we have 550 kW of photovoltaic solar panels that generate approximately 22% of the company’s energy. These panels take advantage of the energy from sunlight, through the photovoltaic effect, which generates electric current.

We are committed to this type of energy because it is renewable, unlimited and abundant. In addition, it is the cleanest and greenest energy available, since it does not generate greenhouse gases.

According to data from the Register of Self-consumption in Catalonia, in September 2022, there were 208,376 kW of installed photovoltaic self-consumption power in Catalonia, 130% more than at the end of 2021.

1Source: Regsiter of Self-consumption in Catalonia

In terms of Territorial Services, Girona is in second position in terms of installed photovoltaic self-consumption capacity with 36,116 kW, behind Barcelona, with 118,554 kW.

2Source: Regsiter of Self-consumption in Catalonia

In addition, at Giropoma we have replaced most of the company’s lighting with LED lighting, which means significant energy savings for the company, longer bulb life, is environmentally friendly and produces low light pollution.

We also have an electric car charger for our employees, vehicles that have been on the rise in recent years thanks to greater environmental awareness and their increasing popularity.

We are very aware of sustainability in the field. We use biological control methods to reduce the use of chemical products, we promote biodiversity in the fields to deal with possible pests, we minimize water consumption through specific irrigation systems and we reduce waste.

In the coming years, we plan to increase the number of photovoltaic solar panels to increase the percentage of green energy produced.

 

Giropoma boosts its digital presence through new social media channels

Giropoma starts a new stage in the digital sphere, boosting its digital presence by relaunching new social media channels. The apple producer and marketer makes a clear and firm commitment to online communication, thanks to renewed channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and a clear strategy in line with the company’s raison d’être.

The objective is to strengthen, improve and dynamize communication, as well as a fluid and direct interaction with all stakeholders: partners-producers, workers, customers, consumers, suppliers, distributors, etc. A meeting space and a door open to dialogue will be made available to them, in order to make the brand visible.

Immediacy, a fresh image, a friendly and approachable tone and a content strategy based on audiovisual formats, infographics and creativities will be promoted in these social media channels.

Thus, the user will be able to find information about Giropoma’s objectives, mission, vision and values; the different varieties of apples produced and commercialized; the production and techniques used in the crops; the sustainability actions carried out to protect the surroundings and the environment; the innovation and technology systems followed by the company to guarantee the quality of the products; trends and news of the agri-food sector, etc.

Aware of the relevance of social networks in a hyperconnected world, Giropoma wants to offer quality information and move towards the demands, updates and novelties offered by the new digital formats.

Giropoma’s website

The social networks that Giropoma has launched complement the digital presence that the company already had until now, thanks to a website created over the last few years. The user can consult the information in three languages (Catalan, Spanish and English).

The page shows a visual, dynamic, intuitive and attractive image, promoting an agile user experience, good navigability and more comfortable access so that users can have all kinds of information.

The space has several sections that project the company’s DNA: ‘Environment’, ‘Company’, ‘Production’ (with two subsections: ‘Quality’ and ‘Technology’), ‘Products’ (with two subsections: ‘Variety’ and ‘Formats’), ‘News’ and ‘Contact’.

Giropoma also has a specific e-mail address for communication issues (comunicacio@giropoma.com) in order to promote direct contact and attend to users’ requests.

POM-ZERO: APPLE PRODUCTION MINIMIZING THE USE OF CHEMICAL PHYTOSANITARIES

POM-ZERO: APPLE PRODUCTION MINIMIZING THE USE OF CHEMICAL PHYTOSANITARIES

Objective:
Produce residue-free apples by improving the pest and disease management system in commercial plantations, prioritizing cultural measures and biological or more sustainable products in order to significantly reduce treatments with chemical phytosanitary products.

Description:
The project will consist of applying and evaluating a global strategy to defend against diseases and pests in order to obtain quality production with minimal waste. This global strategy will be based on farms with total closure and where biological control strategies and alternative methods to conventional chemical treatments will be prioritized in commercial apple tree plantations completely closed with meshes.

Frui3CAT New varieties of fruit resistant to pests and diseases and of high sensory quality

GIROPOMA COSTA BRAVA S.L. participates in the Fruit3CAT project (file COMRDI16-0036), focused to obtain new varieties of fruit (apple, pear and peach) resistant to pests and diseases of high economic impact in the fruit production areas of Catalonia, of high sensory quality for consumers and more adapted to the foreseeable conditions due to climate change with high temperatures.

This project seeks to reduce production costs by having highly productive and adapted varieties.

Minimisation of the use of plant protection products and the possibility of maintaining viable farms despite the presence of pathogens.

Improving competitiveness by having fruits of high sensory quality and good storage capacity.

This project has been co-financed by the European Union Fund for Regional Development within the framework of the Operational Program FEDER of Catalonia 2014-2020.

Fresnack: healthy fruit snack

Giropoma Costa Brava S.L, together with Girona Fruits SCCL, Actel SCCL and Frit Ravich SL, and with the participation of IRTA as an external collaborator, is working on the creation of a healthy Snack of fresh fruit (apple, pear and peach) using a technologically innovative process in terms of fruit drying.

This collaboration has been set up within the framework of the financial support by the Operational Groups from the European Association for Innovation (AEI) in agricultural productivity and sustainability, funded by the FEADER fund and the Departament d’Agricultura Ramaderia i Pesca (ARP/96/2016 of 27th of April)

Giropoma Costa Brava S.L is a beneficiary member of the project and contributes with the apple variety Golden Delicious which is especially recognized for its production and quality, being a well-known variety within the IGP of Poma de Girona.

At the same time, we also actively participate in project monitoring meetings which are held periodically, and in the decision-making based on the sensory properties of the product obtained both with our apple (Golden Delicious) and with the rest of the varieties tested. Giropoma Costa Brava S.L. will carry out different dissemination actions to publicise the main results obtained in this innovation project.