Fresh produce company SanLucar says it will deliver around 300 metric tons (MT) of Ecuadorian table grapes to the European market this season.

The grapes are grown in GLOBALG.A.P. certified SanLucar farms Santa Elena and Lourdes. 

This new export program makes the  Spain-based, German-owned company the main producer of Ecuadorian table grapes for sales abroad.

SanLucar pioneered table grape shipments from the new international supplier in 2016, bringing up the Crimson variety to Europe.

This time, however, it says it has a more ambitious project with "great novelties".

In total, up to 20 containers will arrive at the port of Rotterdam in the following weeks, which will be distributed to important supermarket chains across the continent. The varietal range will be expanded to cover Crimson, Jack's Salute and Sweet Globe.

SanLucar said the climatic conditions in Ecuador have proven to be optimal for the cultivation of table grapes, helping to deliver a product that is widely accepted in countries such as Germany.

In autumn, SanLucar shipped the first samples of these varieties, which were tested on the company's trial fields in Ecuador. This led to the selection of these three special varieties for the commercialization in foreign markets.

The company says it has been working in constant collaboration with phytosanitary watchdog Agrocalidad since 2016 to ensure the continuity in the grape production process and to monitor the fruit quality. 

"We are very happy with the progress of our programme for developing the grape production in Ecuador, which we started in 2014. Moreover, we are grateful to Agrocalidad for the cooperation and support they constantly give us,” said Leonel González, SanLucar's country manager for Ecuador.

As a result of this close collaboration, technicians from Agrocalidad visited the SanLucar premises in Santa Elena on Dec. 18, monitoring the operations. 

Today, SanLucar has three farms in Ecuador. On the farms in Santa Elena and Lourdes, not far from the region El Azúcar, 200 employees work on a total area of around 370 hectares.

The company also produces bananas year-round on the farm Magdalena near Puebloviejo.

With the sustainability program called d.r.e.a.m.s., SanLucar realizes projects to protect the environment and to benefit the people, while also participates in various social projects in the sectors education, nutrition and sport.