Six companies that work with Mallorcan IGP almonds have participated, with new products and exceeding the sales of the last edition
The president of the IGP, Miquel Riera, highlighted the growth in producers, hectares and commercial value of Mallorcan almonds in 2023
The second edition of the Almond from Mallorca Fair, held today in the Plaça Major of Palma, has gathered over 1,200 people throughout the day – more than triple than last edition, with about 400- who have highlighted the “great quality” of the entire product for sale. The six participating companies, with new products, have also surpassed last year’s sales, a fact that, for the organization, confirms the “consolidation” of this fair “among the most important” of food and quality products that take place every year on the island.
In the institutional toast, the president of the Regulatory Council of the IGP Ametlla de Mallorca, Miquel Riera, thanked everyone for their attendance and remarked that the spirit of the fair “is to continue publicizing our almonds, a product of high quality and of which has more tradition on our island”. He also wanted to refer to the growth of the IGP in the last year, since he recalled, “it has added 31 new farms and more than 500 hectares of cultivation” but, above all, he highlighted “the increase in the marketed value of the almond from Mallorca”.
On the other hand, the minister of Agricultura, Pesca i Medi Natural, Joan Simonet, valued that “behind these distributors there are thousands of hectares of landscape, territory, farmers who are collaborating”, and said that the almond from Mallorca “is emblematic and has a future” and encouraged everyone to consume it. On the other hand, the mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, has expressed satisfaction that the fair is repeated and has wished that “many more years will be celebrated”, highlighting the “commitment” of its consistory to “support the local producers” because, he said, “in gastronomy we are good and we must demonstrate it”.
Three leading companies from the almond and derivatives market on the island have participated in this edition and associated to the IGP: Almendras Capó, Bessó de Mallorca and Camp Mallorquí; and three more that work with Mallorcan almonds IGP: Bon Bessó, which this year has been the novelty of the fair with its cheese based on almond milk; the Can Trias bakery, with its mallorcan ‘gató’ made with the traditional recipe -only based on almonds, eggs and sugar-; and La Menorquina, which has repeated in this fair offering three ice creams with Mallorcan almonds as an ingredient.
In addition to these, the Association of Fincated Cooks in the Balearic Islands -ASCAIB- also participated. Two of his chefs, ‘Pinxo’ González and Gabriela Oliva, have prepared during the day two tapas, one salty and another sweet, where the protagonist was the almond from Mallorca. The first has consisted of a ‘focaccia’ made of toasted almonds with a sheet of roasted chicken and almond and coconut cream; while the second has been a small ‘alfajor’ made with almonds, filled with a creamy syrup of milk and decorated with almonds in granite. The audience has been able to taste them in their stand.
Other quality and guarantee brands from the Balearic Islands have also been present at the fair, which have had their own stand with information and an extensive sample of products from the DOP Oli of Mallorca, the DOP Oliva of Mallorca, the DOP Mahón-Menorca cheese, the wines of the DO Binissalem and the DOP Pla I Llevant and those of the IGP Vi de la Terra de Mallorca, as well as the IGP Sobrassada de Mallorca, the IGP Ensaïmada de Mallorca and ‘Pa d’Aquí‘ (local bread).
Finally, and with regard to public authorities, the councilor for Comerç, Fires i Mercats of the Palma City Council, Guadalupe Ferrer, the island councilor for Promoció Econòmica i Desenvolupament Local of the Consell de Mallorca, Pilar Amate, and its island director of Comerç, Alfredo Arias, also attended. It should be remembered that the fair is carried out with the financial support of the European FEADER funds, which is managed by the Govern de les Illes Balears at the regional level, and which has also had the collaboration of the Palma City Council through PalmaActiva.
