Alibós Galicia

Our Company

Alibós is a company with more than 50 years of history, located in Monterroso, a rural area in the center of the Autonomous Community of Galicia, in the northwest of Spain, and one of the main chestnut processors in Europe.

We have over 300 hectares of modern chestnut plantations (Castanea sativa Mill.) in rural areas close to our factory. All of them are ecologically produced and certified as "Castaña de Galicia." We have created a subsidiary company called Soutos Sativa S.L. dedicated exclusively to providing all the necessary agricultural services for chestnut production, from training and advice to plant commercialization, fruit care, and harvesting.

We export worldwide

We carefully process chestnuts, safely and completely naturally, obtaining a fully peeled, raw and ultra-frozen chestnut that we export to the most important international markets. Products derived from chestnuts such as flour, puree, marron glacé, or preserves are made from them.

Facilities and processes

The highest quality chestnuts are received daily, from October to December, at our facilities, undergoing the most advanced technological process of peeling, selection, and ultra-freezing, obtaining peeled and ultra-frozen chestnuts that maintain all their flavor, texture, and color. With more than 10,000 m2 of surface area, we process over 80 tons daily and store up to 4,000 tons.

Committed to...

Zero Organic Waste

• We use chestnut shells as fuel in our biomass boiler, reducing emissions by -760,000 tons of CO2 compared to the use of LPG, with an equivalent of 3 M kWh per year.

• We compost combustion ashes and wet shells, applying them as natural fertilizer in our own plantations. We collaborate with local companies to produce organic fertilizers.

• Damaged fruits are sold frozen for animal feed.

• The solid fraction obtained from the water purification process is dried and used as chestnut flour for the production of animal feed.

Recycling and Circular Economy

• REDUCTION OF PACKAGING WASTE
We have acquired 2,000 reusable plastic containers to store the semi-processed product, which has resulted in an annual saving of 80,000 kg of cardboard.

• WATER RECYCLING IN THE PROCESS
The water used in the processing of chestnuts and cleaning of facilities, free of any chemical compounds, is purified, disinfected, and recirculated.

• ENERGY EFFICIENCY - LED Lighting
We have replaced more than 300 conventional luminaires with LED technology, resulting in a saving of 84 MWh per year, with a reduction of emissions by -28 tons of CO2/year.

• RENEWABLE ENERGY
We have installed photovoltaic solar panels to self-supply 87,000 kWp/h, reducing emissions by 31 tons of CO2/year

Innovation

• We invest 5% of our profits in innovative projects, both in production processes and products and organizational aspects. This allows us to optimize the use of natural resources and raw materials, reduce the use of plastic packaging, implement software for traceability management, or incorporate the most advanced artificial vision technology adapted to chestnuts. • 8 R + D + i Projects in the last 10 years in different fields such as the valorization of waste and by-products of the process, new functional ingredients and products, without allergens and for sensitive populations, variety characterization, and prevention of chestnut diseases.

Social Responsibility, Primary Sector, and Local Economy

We provide employment for more than 100 people in the region, with a high percentage of indefinite contracts and more than 70% female employment, which represents a significant contribution to local development and the economy of the area.

We are committed to the primary sector with the aim of promoting the recovery of chestnut cultivation in Galicia and professionalizing the sector, contributing to the conservation of local productions and biodiversity.

Recognitions

• 2022: Galicia Alimentación Award for Business Project 2022. Galician Food Cluster.

• 2021: SME of the Year Award in Lugo. Chamber of Commerce.

• 2020: Ranked 7th out of 1,200 participating Galician companies in the ARDAN RANKING AS AN INTELLIGENT COMPANY OF GALICIA, assessing its current capacity to create value with a business model capable of generating sustainable and inclusive economic growth. With outstanding results in the Galician context.

• 2019: ARDAN Indicators: Well-managed Company, Global Company, Innovative Company, Wealth-generating Company, Company with High Productivity.

• SME INNOVATIVE SEAL since 2018.

• 2014: XIV Aresa Rural Development Award

• 2010: Cross-Border Business Excellence Awards - - Internationalization Category. Galician Business Confederation.

• 2010: Business Activity Awards - Quality, Industrial Safety and Environmental Protection Category. Lugo Business Confederation

• 2007: Award for Best Ecological Industry. CRAEGA.