Freshuelva
A new Spanish APO is joining AREFLH.
Freshuelva was founded in 1983 and is the industry association of Huelva’s berries producers and distributors (strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and the blueberry). Its member companies account for around 95% of production in the sector.
Its mission is the defence and promotion of the berries sector in Huelva; to improve the technology and structure of the sector, and, in doing so, improving growers’ profitability.
Freshuelva plays a prominent role in representing the sector before public administrations, equivalent producer sectors in other countries, the media, and social and economic agents.
To meet the challenges of technology in the sector, it has entered into collaborative research agreements with diverse public and private scientific institutions. It also directly finances research projects, and organises an annual award for technological innovation.
The production zone where Freshuelva main companies are located is influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. This gives the province of Huelva certain exceptional climatic characteristics that allow it to, year after year, produce the first European strawberries to appear in markets still experiencing winter.
A few figures:
In 2024 Freshuelva accounted for 6200 Ha of strawberries, 3700 Ha of blueberries, 1700 Ha of raspberries and 143 Ha of blackberries.
The APO includes 105 producer and/or exporter members and 71 auxiliary companies.