“The onion of Fuentes de Ebro was the first to change the way onions were consumed in Spain”

The harvest of the PDO Fuentes de Ebro onion, the leading vegetable in the Fuentes de Ebro region in the Spanish province of Zaragoza, began a few weeks ago. “This year the weather has been good and organoleptically we are obtaining onions with their characteristic mild, sweet flavor and exceptional quality. We are very satisfied with the product and the quantities produced, which are in line with our sales forecasts and the shipment will now reach consumers,” says Daniel Molina of Jumosol.

“There is an oversupply of other onion varieties and the product is the subject of speculation. Much more is being planted than in previous seasons. This affects us all because, of course, we are all in the same market. However, our experience over all these years shows that our onions stand out and are highly appreciated thanks to their taste and unique texture.”

“In addition, the production of Fuentes de Ebro onions is more expensive because the harvest cannot be mechanised and there is more waste than with conventional onions. However, from the beginning our policy has been to keep the price stable so that consumers can afford PDO onions. And we can do this because we are not only producers but also marketers of Spain’s original sweet onion,” says Daniel.

“In 2000, sweet onions were a completely new product in Spain”
The fact is that the Fuentes de Ebro onion was the first successful sweet onion in Spain and has strongly consolidated its market position in recent years.

“Onions have traditionally been grown in this area for many years, but consumption has always been local. The soils here, rich in gypsum and calcium carbonate, and the steppe microclimate in this area of ​​the central Ebro valley, have meant that the onions grown here are less spicy and milder in taste than other onions grown in Spain. I remember that in 2000, when the second generation joined the company founded by my parents and we started selling the onions nationwide, this type of sweet onion was perceived as a completely new product in the rest of Spain.”

“It was then that we realised the potential of this onion and in 2003 we started the project to obtain the PDO ‘Fuentes de Ebro’ certification. I was lucky enough to be able to lead this project and thanks to all the plant material that our ancestors had selected and protected, we managed to obtain this certification. I can proudly say that the ‘Fuentes de Ebro’ onion is the best in the world and that with it we have changed the way onions are eaten in Spain.”

“Our country gives us a true natural treasure that secures the future and income for the region”
“After introducing it to supermarkets and customers, we were asked if we could supply this type of sweet onion all year round, as it was a product with a lot of potential, but with Fuentes de Ebro’s production alone it would not be possible. So by chance, at the 2003 Fruit Logistica fair, we saw a very similar onion from Mexico. It was not like the one from Fuentes de Ebro, but it had the right characteristics and met our expectations of the taste of a sweet onion,” says Daniel. “From then on, we decided to start some test imports from Latin America and finally, many years ago, in Peru, we found an onion that complemented the Fuentes de Ebro PDO onion well in terms of seasonality.”

“An interesting story is that when the specifications for the Protected Designation of Origin were being drawn up, the local elders told us that onions were grown in Aragon before irrigated crops were established in the Albacete area and onion cultivation spread there. And when the varieties of that time, Grano de Oro or Valenciana, were planted in that area on the lower bank of the Ebro, they tended to turn into white and sweet onions due to the influence of the soil and the climate.”

“Our land is a real natural treasure, highly valued, which guarantees a future and a source of income for the region. That is why we encourage consumers to look for the PDO seal, which guarantees that they are buying the authentic Fuentes de Ebro onion in these months when it is finally available again.”

For more information:
Jumosol The real sweet onion
C. Andrés Segovia, 50740 Fuentes de Ebro
Zaragoza, Spain
Phone: +34 976 16 10 40
E-mail: (email protected)
www.therealsweetonion.com