BBVA seeks farmers, ranchers and sustainable producers

BBVA has launched the third edition of its Awards for the Best Sustainable Producers, which it organizes together with El Celler de Can Roca. In this, it is intended to find the best local agri-food production initiatives that are committed to the environment, in addition to contributing to social and economic sustainability.

Farmers, ranchers and food producers in general will be able to present themselves until May 31 from the same website and, already in June, the winners would be announced. BBVA itself and El Celler de Can Roca will be in charge of choosing those producers that will form part of the Catalan restaurant’s recipes.

Of course, they must comply with a series of requirements, such as being ecological -with the certificate of the Ministry of Agriculture-; that take into account social sustainability, such as inclusion projects, and, lastly, that they are economically sustainable. “We want them to have these three aspects so that they are sustainable initiatives in capital letters”, pointed out Alberto Cano, director of SMEs at BBVA in Spain, at the presentation of the awards.

Cano himself has declared that they are returning for the third consecutive year because they want to create opportunities and replicate this entrepreneurial path. «We return to look for the best ten because there are few better ways to support SMEs, especially in the agricultural sector, so that they have a greater role. We have always sought it, but we want to go one step further by helping to fix the population, preserve biodiversity and promote the transformation of organic production.”

For him, these awards are in keeping with society itself. “By 2050, the European Commission forecasts that there will be 35% organic production. 40% of the CAP will be allocated to this, there is 1,000 million euros from the Ministry of Agriculture to achieve it and another 1,000 million from the agri-food Perte. That without taking into account the change of perception of society towards ecological products.

In the two previous editions they have reached more than 200 sustainable producers who have applied the call. In fact, in the last edition the number tripled. “It is becoming known and the interest is increasing.”

Products on the menu at El Celler de Can Roca

For Jordi Roca, from El Celler de Can Roca, who was also at the presentation of the call, this has been a wonderful formula for discovering producers committed to sustainability. «We are in a scenario where the consumer increasingly demands that the environment be respectful of the environment. Chefs, in this society that looks at this world with a certain fascination, have a great responsibility».

That is why they want to give the opportunity to generate a relationship framework that allows putting an idea into practice: that of looking for committed producers. “For our part, we want to give them visibility through our recipes, to use them together with their products, to allow them to be known as well. It is a way of learning and opening our range of relationships with producers that make our kitchen look better and go in tune with where we want to go».

previous editions

Fernando García de la Cruz, general director of Aceites García de la Cruz and winner of the Best Sustainable Producer 2021 award, has assured that, after the award, the media impact it is having is very important, which has contributed to greater brand recognition in Spain.

“What would you say to a producer to sign up? That we have spent many years trying to implement sustainability both in our company and in our olive groves, because it is very easy to say that the company is sustainable, but the added value comes when serious and external entities recognize and value it».

Finally, García de la Cruz has warned producers who still do not trust the world of sustainability: «I would say to a traditional farmer that he has to change his mentality. We have to reduce diesel costs, think more about the environment and leave a sustainable planet to our children, get used to not damaging biodiversity… At first it’s hard. But in the end there is greater production and greater profitability.”