News

Borges overcomes the pandemic and begins the celebration of its 125th anniversary

• Borges is facing COVID despite the enormous difficulties of the environment with a net profit of €25.5 million and sales of €558 million.
• Celebrates its 125th anniversary with the inauguration of its new institutional headquarters Casa Borges – Mas de Colom.

Avoiding the pandemic

Borges avoids COVID with a Net profit of €25.5 million and a Profit before taxes of €33.3 million. The reduction in the prices of the main raw materials sold by the group, such as olive oil, walnuts and almonds, has reduced the turnover by 9% compared to the previous year, standing at 558 million euros, a situation that has begun to be reversed in recent months.

Sales in international markets represent 69% of its total turnover, maintaining its weight compared to the previous year. The high percentage of sales abroad derives from the marketing of its products in 111 countries through its offices and commercial subsidiaries in Spain, the United States, France, Italy, Russia, Brazil, India, China, Singapore and Tunisia.

Borges has marketed a total of 296 thousand tons, of which olive oils stand out in terms of value with 40% of total sales, followed by nuts with 25% and seed oils with 18%. Olives, vinegars, durum wheat pasta, sauces, pickles, dried fruit drinks and by-products (seed flour and almond shell), complete the remaining 17%, growing by 2.5% in volume marketed under its brands.

Borges International Group celebrates 125 years of history reaching a total of 1,195 employees in the world, which represents an increase of 17% of its talent in the last five years. It is present in 12 countries, with 11 industrial plants and 15 commercial offices.

125 years of history

Borges is celebrating 125 years since its foundation and it is expected to culminate with the inauguration of Mas de Colom – Casa Borges, the future institutional headquarters of the Group, a project that has consisted of the rehabilitation of the emblematic building of Mas de Colom, a former convent and farmhouse, as well as the adaptation of nearly 70 hectares farm that surrounds it for the agricultural cultivation of pistachios, almonds, olives and walnuts, cultivated under the Biodiversity Action Plan. A collaborative project coordinated with the Global Nature Foundation, an experienced and prestigious entity in the execution of projects for the conservation of biodiversity at international level.

Commitment to Km 0

Borges Agricultural & Industrial Nuts (BAIN), the nuts subsidiary and leader of the agricultural project, disinvested last May in its farms located in the Sacramento Valley, United States, with the sole objective of focusing on local agricultural development.

Following its strategic plan, in the next three years, the Group plans to add more than 1,000 hectares to its agricultural project to thus manage 3,500 hectares of almond, walnut and pistachio trees in the Iberian Peninsula with a clear focus on the management of responsible agriculture in the use of soil, water and natural resources, applying precision farming techniques for a more efficient use of resources.

Borges reaffirms its commitment to sustainable agriculture by obtaining certification for 72% of the new almond plantations, carried out since 2016, with the Global GAP label, the international standard for good agricultural practices, and plans to reach 100% as they begin to enter production. Likewise, it has a reconversion plan for the oldest walnut and pistachio plantations, converting them into more responsible plantations with more efficient use of resources. Currently, it has 953 hectares of almond, walnut and pistachio trees certified with the Global GAP recognition.

Quality certifications

Borges Agricultural & Industrial Edible Oils (BAIEO), the Group’s oil division, renews the certification of the International Olive Council (IOC) with the superior level C that allows the performance of physical-chemical and contaminant analyses. This demonstrates that the laboratory is equipped to carry out most of the current methodologies and, at the same time, to respond quickly to any need. BAIEO obtained this certification for the first time in 1999 and has maintained it ever since.

This certification, together with the setting of the general requirements for the competence of globally recognised testing and calibration laboratories by ISO 17025, distinguishes BAIEO as a company with the most important standards for the categorisation of olive oils. The current scope accredited by ISO 17025 allows the assessment of acidity, ultraviolet absorbance values and organoleptic tasting. Borges Agricultural & Industrial Edible Oils also participates in a voluntary system of unannounced audits, backed by certificates such as BRC, IFS or FSSC:22000.

Committed by Nature

The Group’s sustainability strategy, under the concept of “Committed by Nature”, involves prioritising the use of recyclable materials in the manufacture of packaging, reducing the consumption of plastics through lighter packaging and using recycled material to ensure sustainable consumption and production methods. All this to promote healthy and wholesome food based on a responsible agricultural model.