Noel, the Olot meat company owned by the Boix Bosch family, has formed a 50% joint venture with chef Nandu Jubany to accompany him in the growth of the business of wholesale production and commercialization of croquettes, which he started during the pandemic as a response to the forced closure of Can Jubany's restaurant services due to the lockdown.
The agreement, whose terms have not been disclosed, has been formalized after the croquette business has managed to commercialize ten million units in a single year. Currently, between 25,000 and 30,000 croquettes are made daily.
The sale of the product began in May 2020 in collaboration with Ametller Origen ---through its Mercat d'Autors proposal--- and was later extended to Bonpreu and Esclat establishments ---which have commercialized the product with their own brand Terra i Tast---; "and we will go further," says Nandu Jubany, who recently participated in a meeting organized by Comertia, about the retail sector.
"But this is a very competitive sector," explains the chef in relation to agreements with food distribution chains and "the Boix family will accompany me in this expansion." Now, the objective of this joint business project is to boost the Nandu Jubany brand, but Noel does not rule out other commercialization channels.
For this reason, currently, Nandu Jubany's warehouse is being conditioned to double its capacity with the intention of continuing to guarantee a product made under the highest standards of quality and food safety, aspects where Noel will contribute all its know-how and more than 80 years of experience in the food sector. "Jubany's goal is to produce 150,000 croquettes a day because, he assures, they will close an agreement with the British chain Marks & Spencer." The product is also already sold exclusively in the food section of the Pyrénées department stores in Andorra.
In Andorra, he has also started a new culinary adventure: last January he opened Diamant, a gastronomic restaurant-shop space, located in Andorra la Vella, with which he has already invoiced 2.7 million euros. In the last year, all of Can Jubany's businesses have generated annual revenues of 23 million euros.
The chef from Calldetenes wants to make cannelloni and carry out international expansionThe croquette business will also expand with new products. To the mushroom, Iberian ham, roasted, sweet ham and cheese croquettes ---to which the chef from Calldetenes wants to add a chocolate croquette--the cannelloni will be addedThe chef's drive will be modulated according to market demand. Sources from Noel state that for the moment"the project focuses on croquettes, but work is also being done on cannelloni and other recipes, and it is being thought of for both the national and international markets""At this moment, commercialization avenues are being explored and it is aimed at thosepartnersor clients who are looking for a top-quality product made with the highest food safety standards," add the aforementioned sources.
According to the chef, 8 million to 10 million cannelloni could be produced per year, a task for which he will have to expand his staff. In fact, the croquette factory ---"which the pandemic gave me," he says--- was conceived as "a response to guarantee jobs for the 40 people I had in the event organization division and for whom there was no work given the social restrictions due to Covid-19; and now we are 44 people," he adds.
Noel, an expanding company
For its part, the Noel Alimentaria food group, also expanding, launched a new 16,345 square meter plant in Olot last October to boost its fresh products division, which houses the activity of butchering, packaging, and freezing of pork meat and derivatives. With an investment of 35 million euros, the new facilities are equipped with industrial 4.0 technology and have all the necessary measures and protocols to guarantee the maximum quality and food safety of the products.
This operation has allowed the production of sliced and fresh processed products to be maintained in Noel's facilities in the same municipality dedicated to this type of product, which will also benefit from having more effective space.
Noel will contribute all its know-how and more than 80 years of experience in the food sector
Noel, based in Sant Joan les Fonts (Girona), closed 2020 with a turnover of 365 million euros, with a growth of 21% compared to 2019 (64 million euros more), a percentage that represented the largest increase in the last ten years.
The company, founded in 1940, presented a project at the beginning of 2021 to apply for resources from the EU's Next Generations Fund, with an investment plan of 300 million euros that foresees the creation of 400 new direct jobs. The company will focus on improving environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, traceability and digitalization, production facilities, and technological innovation in the next three years.
Add The New Barcelona Post as your preferred Google source for free
Stay informed with the latest news.
