The cooperative Camp Mallorquí wants to buy Carob: "We don't want it to end up like Agama"

PalmaThe Camp Mallorquí cooperative has presented an offer to acquire Carob S.A., a company dedicated to the production of carob gum and currently in pre-insolvency proceedings. The proposal has already been submitted to both shareholders and the court overseeing the process, and it includes the continuation of agricultural activity and the maintenance of the more than twenty jobs affected. Miquel Gual, president of the cooperative, has assured that "they will keep the company as we know it." "We don't want it to end up like Agama, where a big brand like Damm buys it for speculation and not to keep the sector alive."

In this regard, he lamented that the Balearic industry is in crisis and losing sectors continuously, and that their purchase option is not only to "maintain the sector, but also for the dignity of Mallorca and its people."

The operation comes at a key moment for the company's future, with the resolution of the insolvency proceedings expected before April 15. The cooperative argues that its proposal not only addresses the company's liabilities but also incorporates a social dimension linked to maintaining the island's agri-food fabric. In fact, the president of the cooperative explained to ARA Balears that their idea is to maintain both the model and the entire workforce."

In parallel, the initiative is part of a broader strategy to strengthen the carob sector in Mallorca. Camp Mallorquí gathers carobs annually from both its members and other producers, separates the carob bean, and markets the product internationally. The acquisition of Carob would allow the production process to be completed with the direct processing of carob gum, a thickener with high external demand.

The proposal has been positively valued by the Ministry of Agriculture, which particularly highlights the commitment to maintaining productive activity. The Government has been following the operation since its inception and does not rule out supporting it through financing instruments if it ultimately prospers. In fact, members of the cooperative have already met on several occasions with the minister, Joan Simonet, who has pledged to help them if the courts eventually accept their offer. "We trust the Ministry, so far they haven't failed us and they have assured us that they will help us if we finally acquire the company," explained Gual.

Carob S.A., founded in 1976, is a company with a long history in the manufacturing and distribution of carob gum. In 1996, it expanded its facilities with a new plant in Marratxí, which allowed it to control all production phases. Furthermore, it has a warehouse in Baltimore, United States, to strengthen international distribution.

A sector in crisis?

Regarding the market, the sector is experiencing a price drop recorded in 2025, with values falling back to levels from eight years ago. This decline comes after an exceptional period marked by the so-called 'carob boom', when strong international demand —especially from the food and cosmetic industries, which use carob gum as a thickener— sent prices soaring to historic highs close to two euros per kilogram.

This increase encouraged intensive harvesting and the incorporation of new supply into the market, which, over time, has contributed to a correction in prices. Despite this context of volatility, the cooperative foresees a progressive stabilization in the next two years, with a trend towards more balanced values that will allow the sector's viability without repeating recent speculative peaks.

A model similar to the one they offered for Agama

The proposal from Camp Mallorquí is similar to the one intended to be made with Agama to prevent the factory closure and the death of Mallorca's dairy sector. The workers, in this case, would not be directly involved in the cooperative, as was intended with Agama. But the proposal was the same: for people from the countryside to acquire the brand to produce and market the local product of the Balearic Islands and thus prevent tourism and urban development from swallowing up another part of the Balearic primary sector.

In fact, it was also the same Damm group, owner of both Agama and Laccao, who offered both the brand and 100% of the industrial assets to the farmers and workers to thus prevent the factory closure and the disappearance of the brand.