About the company:

Udapa was created in 1993 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque province of Alava, as a result of the merger of an agricultural producers’ cooperative, a worker’s cooperative and a credit cooperative. The new potato cooperative was born with the objective of improve, innovate and professionalise the processes of production and marketing of fresh potatoes in the region and in the rest of the country.

Today, Udapa is one of the top 10 potato marketing companies in Spain. The cooperative is firmly committed to quality, innovation and food safety, both in terms of the product and in their social business model, which aims to contribute to a sustainable economic and social prosperity of the area. This mission and vision are carried out by a team of 90 professionals who provide advice and sales support to the 35 growers that are growing Udapa’s seed and ware potatoes all over 350 hectares in the province of Alava. Nowadays, Udapa markets more than 77.500 tonnes of potatoes a year.

“The presence of farmers in the cooperative project allows us to be in direct contact with the potatoes from their origin to achieve the most ambitious quality standards. We work with 3-years contracts with growers, establishing minimum prices to guarantee a fair income to everyone, and awarding those of them who deliver top quality potatoes. This way, we can secure that 63% of our potatoes come from Spain.” – Ana Carrasco, Director of Innovation

In order to respond to new consumer trends, and following an intense in-house research work with the support of leading technology centres in the agri-food sector, Paturpat was created in 2016. Only one year later, Paturpat launched an innovative new range of products created from different cuts of vacuum-packed and steamed potatoes that are easy to prepare and ready to eat.

“With Paturpat, we are also able to use all the potatoes we receive from our farmers, including those ones that don’t meet the visual and quality criteria for supermarkets. This way, we can declare ourselves a zero-waste cooperative”

Corporate social responsibility is in fact one of the core pillars of Udapa. The Basque cooperative carries out several initiatives that have contributed and will contribute to the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As part of this philosophy, UDAPA built a new potato reception, sizing and conservation facilities which are equipped with 4.0 technology and are 100% self-sufficient for heating and electricity. The 14,000m2 plant has a refrigerated capacity to preserve more than 15,000 tonnes of potato (eliminating thus post-harvest treatments) with the main objective of boosting potato production and prosperity in the region.