After three very complicated years, especially due to storms, record production in the only sea salt plant in Catalonia, in the Ebro delta. It has gone from bad luck to a confluence of favorable factors. Meteorology, key in the crystallization of salt, will raise production to 120,000 tons, something never seen before, if there is no last-minute drop.
The record is within reach, but until harvesting ends in mid-September, Infosa, the Catalan family company that exploits the Trinitat salt pans, next to the tip of the horn Worrying about the weekend storm, still with an uncertain forecast.
The salt crystallized optimally this summer thanks to the heat and the lack of rain. The best record dates back to 2014, when 110,000 tonnes were reached. Among the key factors, the dynamics of the winds. In winter and spring the wind was stable almost every afternoon, which influences the quality of the brine. In addition to the winds, the strong heat and drought have contributed to closing the circle.
Another thing is clear to Infosa after three years of many difficulties in being able to respond to the stable demand of the industrial salt market. The family firm will take advantage of this extraordinary salting to have stock again. “The problem we have is being able to serve all customers, even this year we have to limit sales; working without stock is complicated”, emphasizes Manel Salvadó, manager of Infosa. The cleaning of swimming pool water, with the gradual replacement of chlorine by salt, and agri-food are two of the growing markets. The chemical industry, pharmacy or road maintenance, when there is frost, maintain a strong demand.
The volume of salt will increase Infosa’s annual turnover. Last year it reached 15 million euros, a record high mainly due to the increase in production costs. The profit margin, a strong point of the sea salt business, is shrinking. The flor de sal campaign, the gourmet product, a complement, will remain at 15 tons, well below the average (25).
The sea salt produced in the Ebro delta will once again travel abroad. 65% of production is sold on international markets, in Europe, with important customers such as France, but also in the United States or North Africa.
Infosa, with half a hundred workers, hopes to be able to forget with this exceptional harvest the memory of recent disastrous years, such as 2020, that of the Glòria storm, when production fell to 50,000 tons, one of the worst in history .
