La Union

What La Union does

La Unión (Alhóndiga La Unión S.A.) is a Spanish producer-marketer of fresh fruit and vegetables, headquartered in El Ejido, Almería, and founded in 1990. The company operates an integrated model that sources from approximately 3,500 family farms across southern Spain, supporting roughly 15,000 indirect jobs, and markets over 400,000 tons of produce annually through 29 work centres in Almería, Granada, Murcia, and Málaga. It is positioned as the world's largest cucumber exporter. The business employs 1,453 direct staff and sells to European and Spanish retailers and to European foodservice operators.

The product portfolio includes fresh produce under the La Unión master brand, the I'mperfect anti-food-waste range launched in 2017, the La Elejida and Taramay sub-brands, and the Long Fresh frozen product line launched in 2020 and built on the proprietary NICE (Non-Industrial Controlled Evolution) freezing technology. Supporting technical capabilities include the BIOVEGE biodegradable packaging system, WeCarePack and VEGE-PACK packaging formats, end-to-end traceability platforms, and an in-house laboratory conducting more than 64,000 analyses per year. The company has executed multiple CDTI-funded R&D projects (including the DECID@ROP agronomic decision-support system), and holds ISO 45001 occupational health certification through 2028.

Commercially, La Unión generates revenue by selling fresh and frozen produce through B2B channels to European retail and foodservice customers, with pricing driven by category mix, seasonal availability, and contract structures typical of large produce suppliers. The company has committed to carbon neutrality by 2040 under the SBTi-aligned Race to Zero framework, has installed solar generation across multiple work centres, and has been recognised for carbon footprint disclosure for five consecutive years, all of which align the business with the ESG procurement requirements of its principal European retail customers.

Name

La Union

Legal name

Alhóndiga La Unión S.A.

Website

https://launioncorp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

La Union is a Spanish producer-marketer of fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, headquartered in Almeria, supplying European retailers and foodservice operators with 400,000+ tons annually from 29 work centres and 3,500 supplier farms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Produce Marketing and Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480), Frozen Fruit, Juice, and Vegetable Manufacturing (311411), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Produce Wholesale (Fruit & Vegetables) (AFAIABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen Fruits & Vegetables Manufacturing (AFAKACAF), Leafy Greens & Salad Processing Packhouses (Fresh-Cut) (AFAOAGAI), Foodservice / HORECA Produce Wholesale (AFAIACAI)

Keywords

• Fresh produce marketing
• Fruit and vegetable distribution
• Frozen vegetable processing
• Horticultural exporter
• Food packaging systems

Headquarters

HQ city

El Ejido

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Sales: La Unión generates revenue primarily through the sale of fresh fruits and vegetables. The company markets over 65 different products and varieties year-round, sourced from a network of ~3,500 family farms and distributed across Spain and Europe. Revenue is derived from conventional fresh produce under the La Unión and La Elejida brands, and the company is the largest cucumber exporter in the world.
2. Long Fresh Frozen Produce: Revenue from the Long Fresh line, an innovative frozen fruit and vegetable product using NICE technology that preserves nutritional and organoleptic qualities. This line extends the usable life of produce and is sold as a value-added product.
3. I'Mperfect Value Line: Revenue from the I'Mperfect line, which markets fresh produce with cosmetic imperfections at a reduced price. This addresses food waste reduction while capturing value from produce that would otherwise go unsold.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

La Unión produces, packages, and markets fresh fruits and vegetables (over 400,000 tons annually across 65+ varieties) for European retail and foodservice customers, including a dedicated frozen line under the Long Fresh sub-brand that uses proprietary NICE freezing technology. The company also operates differentiated sub-brands—I'mperfect for cosmetically imperfect produce, La Elejida for locally grown premium produce, and Taramay for tropical fruits—and runs three in-house laboratories and a 927.3 kWp solar installation to support quality, sustainability, and packaging innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Long Fresh: Innovative freezing technology brand using NICE technology that preserves all nutritional and organoleptic properties of fruits and vegetables, extending shelf life without seasonal variations, oxidation, or wastage.
• I'Mperfect
• La Elejida
• Taramay

Products and services

• Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (La Unión core range) Core fresh produce offering from La Unión, covering 65+ varieties of fruits and vegetables marketed at 400,000+ tons per year to European retail and foodservice customers, including its position as the world's largest cucumber exporter.
• Long Fresh La Unión's frozen fruits and vegetables sub-brand, applying proprietary NICE freezing technology to extend shelf life and serve European retail and foodservice customers.
• I'mperfect La Unión's value-tier sub-brand marketing cosmetically imperfect fruits and vegetables at lower prices, addressing price-sensitive retail and foodservice buyers and reducing food waste.
• La Elejida La Unión's premium-tier sub-brand offering locally grown fruits and vegetables from El Ejido, Almería, targeted at European retail buyers seeking regional/origin-differentiated produce.
• Taramay La Unión's sub-brand dedicated to tropical fruits, extending the company's portfolio beyond Mediterranean horticulture for European retail and foodservice customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• World's largest cucumber exporter, marketing 400,000+ tons annually across 65+ varieties year-round
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Ecoplas Barbanza, S.L.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Co-leader of the VEGE-PACK project (April 2020, 33 months) developing compostable packaging with antimicrobial and antifungal properties derived from agricultural by-products. Budget €667,908.
• Agroindustrial KIMITEC, S.L.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2019Project leader for the AGROHEALTH project (IDI-20190176), a CDTI-funded collaborative R&D initiative focused on developing natural biofertilisers that stimulate synthesis of chemopreventive compounds in tomato and avocado, and developing two functional food products from these enriched fruits.
• IDEAS Y DESARROLLO PARA LA MEJORA CONTINUA IDM, S.L.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2018Participant in the MORE-THAN-CLEAN project (ITC-20181097), funded by CDTI under the FEDER-INNTERCONECTA 2018 programme. Alhóndiga La Unión led the project focused on developing hygienising technologies applied at the interstitial level of horticultural tissue during cultivation and post-harvest handling.
• INGRO MAQUINARIA, S.L.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2018Participant in the MORE-THAN-CLEAN project (ITC-20181097), co-funded by CDTI and the EU under the FEDER-INNTERCONECTA 2018 programme.
• NOVEDADES AGRÍCOLAS, S.A.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2018Participant in the MORE-THAN-CLEAN project (ITC-20181097), co-funded by CDTI and the EU under the FEDER-INNTERCONECTA 2018 programme.
• KoppertminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with La Unión on projects focused on sustainable production, mentioned in the new sustainability goals section of the CSR strategy.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• UNICA Group: Spanish Almería-based fruit and vegetable producer-marketing cooperative with similar model of aggregating family-farm production for B2B European distribution; directly comparable in scale, geography, and customer base to La Unión.
• Grupo AN: Spanish agricultural cooperative group marketing fresh produce, frozen vegetables and processed foods across Europe; comparable business model and customer overlap with La Unión's Long Fresh and I'Mperfect lines.
• Ardo: Belgian frozen vegetable manufacturer supplying European foodservice and retail; the closest direct comparator to La Unión's Long Fresh (NICE) frozen produce line by category and customer base.
• Florette (Agrial): European leader in fresh-cut salads, bagged vegetables and ready-to-eat produce, with strong Iberian operations; comparable to La Unión's fresh-cut and value-added packhouse activities and sustainability branding.

Broad incumbents

• Greenyard: Belgium-listed global market leader in fresh, frozen and prepared fruit & vegetables, supplying major European retailers; overlaps directly with La Unión's fresh produce wholesale and frozen Long Fresh segments at a much larger scale.
• Bonduelle: French global leader in processed and frozen vegetables, with strong retail-brand presence across Europe; competes with La Unión's Long Fresh frozen line and serves similar retail customers.
• Total Produce / Dole plc: Global fresh produce giant with extensive European distribution; overlaps with La Unión in fresh fruit and vegetable sourcing and B2B supply to European retailers.

Regional players

• Bakker Barendrecht (Greenyard): Dutch fresh produce supplier serving major Dutch and German retailers; competes with La Unión in Northern European retail programmes with overlapping cucumber and tomato categories.
• Grupo P Peregrín: Murcia-based Spanish fresh produce marketer and exporter focused on lettuces, broccoli and vegetables; comparable in customer base and category overlap, though concentrated in different crops than La Unión.

Others

• Hispatec: Spanish ag-tech provider of ERP, traceability and agronomic decision systems for fresh produce operators; directly comparable as the technology partner behind La Unión's DECID@ROP crop modelling project, and indicative of the IT infrastructure layer used by peers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/launioncorp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@launioncorp
• Facebookfacebook.com/Launioncorp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alh-ndiga-la-uni-n
• Instagraminstagram.com/launioncorp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about La Union