S'Obrador: from being in a critical situation to multiplying production

Se ObradorThe industrial kitchen managed by the Association of Organic Agricultural Production of Mallorca (Apaema), where all kinds of preserves and vegetable products are made, has gone from a difficult situation to increased production and customers in just one year. "We've grown in both members and production compared to last year," confirms Rosa Andreu, head of S'Obrador. Due to the increased production, the facilities "have become too small," Andreu explains. In fact, she admits that Apaema is considering expanding S'Obrador, although she clarifies that "nothing is concrete at the moment." "We know that at some point we'll have to increase its capacity, but we'll see when that happens," she insists.

Last September, Apaema launched a crowdfunding campaign to buy a marmita, an industrial cooking pot that was "vital to prevent S'Obrador from closing," explained Apaema coordinator Nofre Fullana to ARA Baleares. The association He won 18,000 of the 30,000 euros He found out the machine was worth with that financing system and bought it. This allowed the Association to increase its production capacity. The sector's confidence in S'Obrador also led to the growth of different products, such as citrus jams and apple compote made with local varieties, among other products that Andreu calls "stars." He also says that this year he has invested "a lot in updating the recipes to make them more appealing to consumers." Currently, S'Obrador has between "50 and 60 recipes in development, including pomegranate vinegar," he adds. However, Andreu admits that the project "is still operating at a loss." Along the same lines, he says that S'Obrador "maintains a service that a private company wouldn't want to offer because it's not profitable." This project processes the food harvested by small producers in Mallorca, "who don't have high production volumes, but they still have to process and transform their produce." However, he celebrates that this project promotes local products and small producers, and prevents food waste. For this reason, he hopes that Apaema will eventually become profitable "so that all producers have a place where they can process their food, which is all there is these days."

The Apaema processing facility serves dozens of small organic producers who lack the capacity to process their own food on their farms, either due to a lack of facilities or a lack of personnel. For this reason, the equipment has become a cornerstone, enabling many farmers to market their processed products as juices or jams and achieve much greater profitability for their farms.