SanLucar wins Hannon Award in Tunisia

The premium brand for fruits and vegetables was honored for its commitment to social and economic development in the country.

(Valencia, Spain/Gabés, Tunisia – October 17, 2019).  SanLucar has received the Hannon Award “for the Promotion of Co-Development through Responsible Investment” in a ceremony that took place in Bercy-Paris last Thursday, October 10^th.

Among a total of 20 companies participating in the second edition of these awards, SanLucar was declared the winner in the category of significant regional investment in Tunisia.

Specifically, this trophy recognizes the company’s contribution to the social and economic development in the region El Hamma-Gabès with its farm “La Cinquième Saison”. SanLucar has been operating in the area since 2008 and has become one of the leading employers there.

Furthermore, the premium brand for fruits and vegetables contributes significantly to a social and cultural progress in the region through different actions. It participates in the ministerial program “Companies as Partners of Schools” and finances projects with the aim to improve educational institutions. The company also cooperates with various regional organizations such as AGIM (general association of motor deficit), ATAS (Tunisian association for assistance for the deaf) or UTAIM (Tunisian union for assistance for the mentally disabled).

Moreover, SanLucar was the first company in Tunisia to receive the GRASP certificate which values special social management in the agricultural sector. The premium brand currently employs about 1.500 people in Northern and Southern Tunisia, mainly in the field of tomato and berry cultivation. In 2018, it has received the National Prize for Social Progress awarded by the former president of the Tunisian Republic, Béji Caïd Essebsi.

The first edition of the Hannon Awards “for the Promotion of Co-Development through Responsible Investment” took place in 2018 as an initiative of the Confederation of Tunisian Citizen Enterprises (CONNECT) and the Network of Excellence in the Mediterranean, Med 21. The prize is being awarded in four different categories, alternately in Tunisia and Europe.

SanLucar in Tunisia

The global premium brand for fruit and vegetables, SanLucar, has been operating in Tunisia since 2008. In the region El Hamma-Gabès in the south of the country, the company discovered one of the best areas in the world for growing tomatoes. This is where the oasis “La Cinquième Saison” is located. The soils benefit from a geothermal water source which gives the tomatoes a unique flavor, thanks to the combination of natural minerals. In addition, the use of this hot water source contributes to saving energy.

The “Flor’Alia” farm is located in the north of the country, where SanLucar cultivates the best berries thanks to a close collaboration with renowned international institutions. The farm “Les Perles du Désert” is dedicated to growing grapes.

Since last July, SanLucar has a new partner, HBG Holding (Hédi Bouchamaoui Group), with a stake in the capital of “La Cinquième Saison”. This cooperation strengthens the company’s commitment in Tunisia.

SanLucar is a globally positioned enterprise with subsidiaries in Tunisia, Germany, Austria, Spain, South Africa, Ecuador, Benelux and Dubai. In 1993, the company was founded by Stephan Rötzer from Munich and employs approximately 2,800 people today, the majority of them working on the company’s own farms and in SanLucar offices on four continents. With a range of more than 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables from more than 35 countries, SanLucar is the brand with the broadest assortment in the retail trade. In line with the philosophy “Taste in harmony with people and nature”, SanLucar is a responsible player on the global fruit and vegetable market and is currently expanding into the Arab Gulf States, Russia and Canada.