Spain: Potatoes from A Limia via ’online’, a sales model with a future
There are still few producers like Amador Díaz who sell online, even though "there’s a market for everyone," he says.
Potatoes from A Limia are highly valued even outside of Galicia, and purchasing them is becoming increasingly easy. Online sales are also available to this sector in the region, which is known for its high production of this tuber.
The president of the A Limia Potato Producers Association, and also a producer, Amador Díaz, knows a lot about this. He stands out as a pioneer in online marketing. He started in 2014 and currently sells 100 percent of his harvest through his website. He asserts that few people in A Limia use this option when "there could be more websites," as he is convinced that "there would be a market for everyone."
This potato producer from Xinzo manages to sell his entire harvest through his website every year, and this year he already sold out 15 days ago, when he normally still has produce until the end of March. He ships in 10- and 20-kilogram boxes and boasts a loyal following among his customers, with even older people "calling us to place orders because they’re not comfortable online."
He believes it’s very important that "when you buy online, there’s someone on the other end to help, and sometimes there isn’t." During the pandemic, a few more producers joined, but they’re still very few.
"It’s not easy to position yourself or gain customers; you have to invest," explains Amador Díaz, but he assures that "there’s a market for everyone," although he maintains that when sales aren’t very good, people get discouraged. He emphasizes that if he had more potatoes, he would sell more, since there is a lot of demand for them, but he only produces one product per year since he focuses on quality and his potatoes are harvested and packaged by hand. He packages them through IXP and his production is around 280,000 kilos.
Most farmers sell to warehouses and factories. According to Amador Díaz, there are half a dozen warehouses that buy from producers with or without contracts, and there is a market for fried foods that cannot be sold online.
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