Sweet Brejão

Thirty years ago, in California, a group of dedicated growers joined efforts to develop the best strawberry known to mankind.

The very particular climate in Brejão, is the dominant factor for Well-Pict Portugal success and growth, positioned in 100 ha of the original abandoned 400 há farm of the French millionaire Thierry Roussel. Part of the Well-pict European group, Well-Pict Portugal  is owned by  Martin Seymour (66% of the share-capital) and by Garry Mercer, the Managing-Director of Well-Pict Portugal and in the UK of Well-pict European. Also in the other companies of the group, UK, Spain, Belgium/Holland/Luxembourg and even South Africa the English Martin Seymour, is a shareholder and manager. Martin Seymour formed Well-Pict European in partnership with the Californian and a veteran in strawberry production Tim Miasaka.

The son of a Japanese, Tim Miasaka is the biggest individual strawberry producer in the World, and has dedicated his life to investigation and perfecting the growing of this crop, detaining a share of 51% of the company 51% Plant Sciences Inc, created by him. Producing the best strawberries in the World is in his own opinion a long-term commitment with investigation.

In 1998 the group bought the farm, Herdade do Monte da Azenha, starting a cleaning process in the fields, that had been abandoned for more than 5 years, and ransacked. This farm strawberry production is 95% for export, and gets specialized technical support from the Plant Sciences Inc. scientists. In the past year the main export destinations were, with 70% the UK, but also France, Norway and Holland. Between May and August, period during which main Spanish crop do not have the weather conditions to continue producing, the Spanish market absorbs 60% of the strawberries produced in Brejão.

"During the rest of the year, we are not able to compete directly with the spanish in terms of price; our productions costs are superior- no Spanish growing company pays 33% of social security" says Sofia Rosendo, the Portuguese Managing Director chosen by Martin Seymour.

One of characteristics of this activity is its seasonal, what in the Portuguese case means, between May and August to go from a fixed staff of 56 people to something like 500 workers. In Brejão were created the necessary infra-structures to this “peak” of activity, including canteens and dormitories.

The farm Monte da Azenha was the pioneer in Ibéria of the installation of the table-top system for strawberries. At this point in time, and with this system presenting excellent results, Sofia Rosendo plans to renew the existing system. Martin Seymour’s policy, who comes to Brejão five or six times a year, has been to reinvest the achieved profits locally. "The intention is to invest and increase the production in Portugal", guarantees Sofia Rosendo.   In an industry where the secrets are in varietal development, that answers to the many demands, in Brejão, they tested several. “ Well-Pict has very good varieties, but due to a commercial tactic we made a choice in Portugal for the variety Endurance and Candonga”.

The variety Candonga has a Spanish origin. Very sweet and with a desirable appearance, it is very resistant to transport and diseases. The variety Endurance, exclusive to Plant Sciences, is less resistant to transport, that in the case of Norway can take up to six days.

Networking

The company in Spain develops the marketing strategies to the UK, Holland and Portugal.

In South-Africa the company is focused on putting the varieties in the market place. Well-Pict in a global scale puts itself as a worldwide first class quality supplier. Through a strong bet on marketing techniques, Well-Pict South Africa was created to maximise not only home sales but also Export.

Recently Well-Pict European – Northern was created, to reinforce the commercial side and Sales results in Germany, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg.
In the autumn of 96 the first varieties developed by Plant Sciences In, in California, were brought into Europe. Spain and Portugal was the playing field for these pioneer experiences.

The “Mother- Company”, in the UK – Well-Pict European- is part of what originally constituted the AMS Group, and is today the coordinating and regulatory unit of investments and marketing strategies for all the group farms.

 Click here for this document in Portuguese.