MADRID: Mercadona has increased its purchase of Spanish oranges to more than 150,000 tons for the 2016 campaign – 20% up on last year’s buy. This increase has been due to a new commitment of the Valencian chain to freshly squeezed orange juice. This service is still in its tryout period in supermarkets at Juan Roig, although it is being implemented in 200 stores from different parts of Spain, which proves the initiative is starting to consolidate.
This freshly squeezed orange juice is especially present in Mercadona’s stores in the Community of Valencia and, according to the company, it has led to a 2,500-ton increase in purchases of the oranges (which it hadn’t previously sold in its stores) from local producers.
Mercadona buys its oranges from different Spanish citrus-growing areas, such as Valencia, Andalusia, Murcia, Catalonia, as well as the Balearic and Canary Islands. More than 2,000 growers, from all over the country, supply Mercadona with a wide variety of oranges, from late October to late August.
Once the production volumes of the national orange campaign are exhausted, the company imports oranges from different origins. This only happens for two months, between late August and late October, so more than 90% of the oranges sold by Mercadona are of Spanish origin.
To make its freshly squeezed orange juices, Mercadona uses machines from Zumex, a Valencian company that has worked on similar projects with other large supermarket chains abroad, such as Albert Heijn in the Netherlands or Whole Foods in the US.
To use the self-service machines being tested by Mercadona, customers can purchase half-litre or one-litre glass bottles located by the machine for 1.90 euro and 2.90 euro, respectively. Afterwards, customers simply pull the machine’s lever and fill their containers with freshly squeezed juice. ‘Serve yourself your own juice’, reads the sign over the space.
