Talsa/Onesta Europe and Iberian Foods connect origin, ripening and retail in an integrated model for avocados

Talsa/Onesta Europe and Iberian Foods presented their collaborative model to national and international trade media at Fruit Attraction 2026, combining control of avocados from origin with their ripening, packing and distribution in Europe.

As part of this collaboration, Talsa contributes its own fruit and control from the farm onwards; Onesta Europe provides the trading platform and support in Europe; Iberian Foods supplies the infrastructure and operational services in Spain for ripening, packing and distribution; and SoftRipe provides the technology for the ripening process to improve its control and consistency.

Talsa and Onesta Europe: own fruit and control from origin

The model begins at origin. Talsa is an agro-industrial company with Peruvian capital that focuses on agricultural production, quality and innovation, with production facilities in Peru and Chile and strategic partners around the world.

Talsa Perú, a pioneer and driving force behind agricultural development associated with the Chavimochic irrigation project, currently employs around 6,000 people and cultivates more than 2,400 hectares in the La Libertad and Ica regions of Peru and in Chile’s 5th and 6th regions. 

The agricultural operation is organised into specialised projects – blueberries, avocados, premium table grapes, early cherries and Cherry Plums – each supported by varietal development and specific technologies to achieve maximum differentiation in its respective category. 

In the blueberry market, Talsa is the company that pioneered blueberry cultivation in Peru and is currently a shareholder in the renowned company Hortifrut. In the avocado segment, the company is one of the country’s leading producers; the fruit is ripened at destination using “Softripe” technology, enabling a longer shelf life and more uniform ripening. In premium seedless table grapes, the company focuses on AUTUMNCRISP®. In Chile, Talsa is expanding its range with very early-ripening cherries developed using “Dormancy Control” technology and advanced field control, as well as “Cherry Plums”, a cross between plum and cherry varieties from California, characterised by their high sweetness and convenient shape.

To bring this production closer to the European market, Onesta Europe acts as Talsa’s trading platform in Europe. Based in Huelva, the company aims to refine fruit distribution by developing direct programmes with retailers and offering daily local support, with a particular focus on Spain, Portugal and France. This presence at destination makes it possible to maintain control over the product from the farm onwards and align the origin with the specific needs of each customer and market.

This structure combines fruit that is 100% controlled from origin, varietal development, a more direct and transparent supply chain, and daily local support from Huelva. The aim is to ensure better control over the product throughout the supply chain and respond more closely to the requirements of Talsa’s retail programmes and direct customers, to achieve better results with the fruit.

Iberian Foods: a comprehensive operational platform in Spain

Once the fruit arrives in Spain, Iberian Foods provides the infrastructure and services needed to pack it and prepare it for the market.

Iberian Foods was founded in 2023 by entrepreneur and investor Juan Alberto Franco. The company has facilities in Huelva and offers services to international growers and traders who wish to expand their business in Spain and Europe without having their own infrastructure. A single platform centralises the reception, storage, sorting, packing, ripening, order picking and preparation of products for dispatch.

For Talsa/Onesta, Iberian Foods handles the ripening, packing and distribution of avocados. The combination of infrastructure, technology, operational expertise and flexibility allows the service to be adapted to the requirements of each individual programme and enables the company to act, in practice, as an extension of the customer’s operational structure in Spain.
 
Jesús Cruz Barrios, CEO of Iberian Food, explains:

“Our added value lies in our ability to integrate the services the customer needs once the product arrives in Spain into a single platform. In this project, we can receive, ripen and pack the avocados and prepare them for distribution according to the requirements of each individual programme. This flexibility allows us to act, in practice, as an extension of the customer’s operational structure”. 

Jesús Cruz Barrios, CEO of Iberian Food

SoftRipe: ripening adapted to the condition of the fruit

SoftRipe is used during the ripening phase: a special, patented, AI-based ripening technology that, unlike conventional systems, adapts the ripening process to the actual physiological condition and needs of the fruit.

In hermetically sealed chambers, the system continuously measures oxygen, CO₂ and ethylene concentrations and uses the fruit’s respiratory activity to adjust the ripening conditions dynamically and in a biologically ideal way for the specific fruit. 

For avocados, this technology enables a safe, more controlled and more uniform ripening process, with the aim of achieving greater consistency between fruits and preparing the product to meet the conditions required by each marketing programme.

The first SoftRipe chambers, developed specifically for bananas and avocados, were commissioned in 2019, and since then the technology has been integrated into and expanded across various exotic fruit ripening projects in Europe.

Valdir De Bortoli Commercial Director Deltafrigo Ltda

Longer shelf life and a more consistent eating experience

The results achieved with Talsa fruit ripened using SoftRipe show benefits for both retailers and end consumers.

Supermarkets working with these avocados have been able to extend their shelf life from 4 to 9 days, while the process also enables more uniform ripening and a product that is more consistently ready for sale in stores. This greater uniformity also leads to a better eating experience, with a more consistent texture and creamier fruit. The skin remains firm while the flesh is soft and ready to eat. 

“For retailers, it is not just about having a good avocado, but also about being able to offer consistent quality and a uniform degree of ripeness. By working with our own fruit, maintaining control from origin and then managing ripening at destination, we can handle this product category with much greater precision and offer consumers a more consistent experience,” explains Ricardo de la Torre Ugarte, Managing Director of Onesta Europe".

Ricardo de la Torre Ugarte, General Manager of Onesta Europe

About Talsa and Onesta Europe
Talsa is an agro-industrial company within Grupo Rocío, founded in northern Peru in 1989 and specialising in the production and marketing of agricultural produce for international markets. With more than 30 years of experience, the company combines its own production and trading platforms and supplies customers in over 20 countries. 
Onesta Europe is Talsa’s sales platform for Europe, through which the company strengthens its market proximity and develops programmes with European customers. 

About Iberian Foods
Iberian Foods is an agri-food hub based in Huelva, offering comprehensive services to producers and marketers operating in the European market. Its location near major port connections such as Algeciras, Sines and Huelva facilitates access to the main European markets. The company’s four areas of activity are logistics and storage, fresh fruit packing, tropical fruit ripening using SoftRipe® technology, and frozen product packing. Its business model combines infrastructure, technology, traceability and operational flexibility to adapt services to the needs of each customer and each product. 

About SoftRipe®
SoftRipe® is a patented ripening technology developed by Frigotec GmbH that dynamically adapts the ripening process to the physiological needs of the fruit. By continuously monitoring respiratory activity as well as parameters such as oxygen, CO₂ and ethylene in hermetically sealed chambers, the system adjusts the ripening conditions ideally and automatically. The technology was launched in 2018 after five years of research and development and is used for various types of fruit, including avocados, mangoes, kiwis and bananas. SoftRipe® is a proven system and received the Silver Innovation Award at Fruit Logistica in 2019.