CMR Group is a fruit and vegetable supplier with headquarters in Barcelona and commercial subsidiaries in Spain, France, Morocco and the Netherlands.

 

Fructidor recently interviewed Carles Martí Inglada, Import-Export Director at CMR GROUP, to better understand the ongoing challenges of his business.

 

Fructidor: “How is 2023 going for CMR? Any new openings, collaborations or products?”

 

Carles Martí Inglada: “The year 2023 has been a year of new openings for our business group. Within the policy of global service and continuous internationalization of our commercial activity, we have inaugurated offices in Portugal, Lisbon, and France (Rungis-Paris). From these units, their respective commercial teams are offering a wide and seasonally adjusted commercial offer, coming from the best production areas and covering the different annual campaigns to Portuguese and French distributors in their respective areas of influence. The year 2023 is also notable for the wide impact of the communication campaigns and the resulting recognition and increase in demand for our brand of extra quality pre-ripe avocados and mangoes AURUM by Cosarica. Under its umbrella, only and exclusively the best products selected by an expert ripening and packaging team are marketed.

 

Fructidor: “Could you share something about your future projects?”

 

Carles Martí Inglada: “In our incessant search for new markets for the products to be marketed and with the aim of achieving better distribution and pricing, we are expanding our portfolio of clients and destinations. Likewise, we continue to improve the commercial offer, both of Piel de Sapo, Yellow Melon and Watermelon from our own cultivation in Brazil, as well as from new origins and senders in order to continue expanding our catalog of products, varieties, formats and seasonal alternatives for our customers."

 

Fructidor: “What are the challenges for exporters today? How can they be competitive in the market?”

 

Carles Martí Inglada: “The key is to guarantee the delivery to the destination of a product of extra quality and at its optimal point of maturation according to what the client requests, and that has the certificates required by the destination market. Being a perishable product, these parameters require a well-sized corporate structure that has a team of expert and widely trained professionals in various areas, such as import-export documentation, logistics, quality control, packaging, labeling, preparation... characteristics which are a great challenge for operators. The demands and specifications required for products and their presentation, both from importers and retailers, increase year after year in line with the requests of consumers who are increasingly aware of quality consumption. Adapting the supply of products and services to this demand is essential to continue having the trust of the market, which concentrates its product requests on those exporters who, due to their management experience and size, have the capacity to satisfy their demands.”