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Eugenio Cabezas
Nerja
Wednesday, 11 December 2024, 12:58
At 68 years of age Antonio Rojas from Nerja on the eastern Costa del Sol is a born entrepreneur, who is still going strong despite being of retirement age. He started working at a very young age in a mechanic's workshop in the town and from there he went on to set up his own car and motorbike repair business in 1982.
Always linked to motor vehicles, in 1996, he teamed up with three other local entrepreneurs to set up the first Malaga-based company specialising in the production and packaging of 100% Spanish-made guacamole, Avos Spain. After three years the partners went their separate ways and set up other companies on their own.
Almost three decades later, Rojas is still going strong, producing guacamole for the hotel and catering industry at his facilities in Nerja, where he employs around 10 people. Now he has just opened a new 1,100 square metre warehouse, divided into four floors, on the Castillo Alto industrial estate, in which the company has invested 1.8 million euros. With these new facilities, which are five times larger than the previous ones, the company hopes to double its current production in 2025, which is around 100,000 kilos.
“We saw that the surface area and production of avocados in the Axarquía was growing steadily and that guacamole, which is a recipe originating from Mexico, was beginning to become fashionable on restaurant menus. However, the guacamole that was being served was very spicy, and we thought of making something more homemade and milder, more adapted to the gastronomic customs of the area,” explains Rojas, who says that once they are at full capacity in the new facilities, they will be looking to employ at least five more people.
Avos Nerja S.L. buys an average of 200,000 kilos of avocados per year, of different varieties, with which it produces around 100,000 kilos of guacamole per year, in three varieties of flavour: spicy, mild and pulp, in other words, without additives. “This is a 100% natural product, with no colouring or preservatives, only garlic, onion, parsley, coriander and lime are added. It is then frozen at minus 18 degrees and can be kept in perfect condition for two years as long as it is kept cold,” he explains. However, once the package has been opened, it should be consumed within seven days.
Given that practically all of the around one hundred clients to whom he supplies guacamole are catering firms, Avos Nerja packs tubs from 500 grams to five kilos in weight. Avos Nerja S.L. does buy some of its avocados from abroad, as the season in the Axarquía runs from August to May, and in recent years the harvest in the area has fallen considerably due to the extreme drought.
The guacamole is sold in Spain, although a few years ago it was also exported - mainly to France and Germany. With the new warehouse and the increase in production, the company is aiming to resume sales abroad, according to Rojas.
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