THE OGRANIC FRUIT OF THE CATALAN COOPERATIVE HORTEC MAKES ITS SALOMON ULTRA PIRINEU AID STATIONS DEBUT
While you run, you’re satiated by the landscape of these mountains. When you stop to replenish your body with sugars, vitamins and water, we also want you to be nourished by nature in its purest form.
Pioneers in organic. This year, the fruit at the refreshment points of the Salomon Ultra Pirineu 2022 will be provided by Hortec, as will the 144 boxes for the awarding of prizes.
This cooperative has paved the way for Catalan agriculture and food. It is the pioneer in Catalonia in the farming and distribution of organic fruits and vegetables certified by the CCPAE, the consumer’s guarantee of quality at source. Over its 30 years, Hortec has demonstrated that organic farming has a market of consumers who know another way of eating is possible. Thirty years overcoming difficulties, with the effort and determination of one who is convinced that the only path forward is to love the land you labour.
Healthy for you and the ecosystem. Hortec only farms and sells organic fruit and vegetables produced without pesticides – in-season, delicious and healthy for your body and these mountains as well. The fruit tasted by the runners of the Salomon Ultra Pirineu this year will come exclusively from family farm operations: fields and orchards which help keep the territory alive. Every apple or melon has a name, surname and the mountains, valleys and terraces it comes from.
A way of understanding farming. Hortec was created in 1992 when eight Catalan farmers decided to join forces, drawing on the fertile and historical Catalan cooperative tradition. Then and now, they wanted to combat the rising monopoly of global brands on the seeds, phytosanitary products and fertilisers of conventional agriculture, ever more industrialised. Thus, Hortec is also a way of understanding the survival of the Catalan farm community, ensuring fair prices for its member farmers and standing up to the pressure of large wholesalers, to whom they don’t sell. They seek fair prices for consumers as well, to favour the growth of organic consumption.
From right nearby. The heart of Hortec are its 30 member farmers and the 30 workers at the Mercabarna headquarters. Their crops are spread through 15 counties to exploit our country’s great wealth of soils and climates, making it possible to grow a wide variety of different products all year round to satisfy consumers’ needs. Fresh fruit and vegetables, picked the day before and sold in specialty organic product shops.
