Already before the adoption of a Landscape Network in AlVelAl, farmers were collecting data to improve their production as well as engage partners and customers.

Streamlining operations

As it becomes easier and more efficient to collect and share information within the AlVelAl network, it was obvious that there is also potential to combine outputs and directly refine/market products to consumers, instead of multinationals who add large markups. This can help ensure a reasonable price for the end-customer, while still providing a healthy margin for the producer

The farmer-owned company Almendrehesa was established to help sustainable (rain-fed, low input) almond farmers in the regions of Murcia, Granada and Almería to combine resources in producer marketing, as well as to develop more value-added products.

Growing product lines

The Almendrehesa organization is now one of the largest almond cooperatives in Europe.

Increasingly, external developers of new almond-based products are approaching the firm to develop and support new business plans for environmentally- and socially-positive products created using nuts from AlVelAl farmers.

New products are being developed by La Almendrehesa and their partners, including almond oils and butters, candy, health snacks, and more. This diversity adds resilience to the business model.

In 2021, the company received an award for Best Sustainable Producers from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentina (BBVA). More recently, it was able to successfully fundraise a loan to scale-up production, and by extension the number of farms supported. The successful raising of this loan was enabled by / linked to impact with AlVelAl and related farmers.

Hardened results

By ensuring the information of farmers, project managers, and other stakeholders is both secure and accessible to stakeholders who support projects, the Open.Landscape.Network helps AlVelAl and similar communities adopt better practices, increase operational efficiency, and cultivate new business opportunities with confidence.