Taking place in southern Portugal and Spain, May 4-7, 2025, this year’s on-site technical visit will offer students an invaluable 4-day experience. By visiting orchards, and processing plants of top industry leaders, students will learn first-hand what makes this quintessential producing region tick. The On-site Technical Visit is open to participants of the 2025 INC Congress and Academia Alumni. All participants MUST be INC members. Read on to find out more about the amazing visits we’ve got lined up!Â
DE PRADO ALMONDS – PROCESSING PLANTÂ
De Prado Almonds is a fifth-generation family-owned business that is committed to providing high-quality, healthy, sustainable food internationally, while maintaining a harmonious balance between traditional values and technological innovation. The company’s almond production is located mainly in southern Portugal and Spain. As part of its business strategy, De Prado is committed to vertical integration in the value chain. The company invests in strengthening its industrial capacity, equipping its processing facilities with the latest technology for hulling, shelling, sizing and optical sorting. By 2026, De Prado expects to be handling roughly 20,000 metric tons of almond kernels per year (100% own production). During our visit, we will tour both an orchard and a processing plant in Beja, Portugal.
Photos courtesy of De Prado Almonds
IBERIAN SMART FINANCIAL AGRO (ISFA) – PROCESSING PLANTÂ Â
Iberian Smart Financial Agro (ISFA) is an agricultural management company dedicated to the development of sustainable and efficient projects. With more than 5,000 hectares of orchards planted in Spain and Portugal, ISFA is one of the largest almond producers in the Iberian Peninsula. ISFA’s objective is to develop a portfolio of 10,000 hectares of intensive almond farms under the Sustainable Efficient System (SES).This super-high-density hedge-type growing system allows for fully mechanized plantation management, enabling greater efficiency than conventional orchards. Strategically located in Miajadas, Spain, at the epicenter of ISFA’s plantations, their ultra-modern processing plant is among the largest in Europe, capable of hulling and shelling 90,000 metric tons of almonds per year.
Photos courtesy of Iberian Smart Financial Agro (ISFA)
NUEVOS CULTIVOS AGRARIOS – PROCESSING PLANTÂ Â
Nuevos Cultivos Agrarios is a Spanish agricultural enterprise that prides itself on innovation. The company provides a comprehensive service to pistachio growers, picking up raw pistachios from the farm on the day of the harvest. The pistachios are processed at the company’s state-of-the-art processing facilities in Extremadura and Castilla–La Mancha. All pistachios processed by the company are subjected to exhaustive quality control, complying with international quality standards. Nuevos Cultivos Agrarios delivers top-quality pistachios with full traceability, processed according to the client’s specifications. Additionally, the company supplies farmers with premium pistachio trees. Thanks to the expertise of their team of agricultural engineers and technicians, Nuevos Cultivos Agrarios also provides agricultural consulting services. During our visit, we will tour both an orchard and a processing plant.
Photos courtesy of Nuevos Cultivos Agrarios
CALCONUT – FACTORY
Calconut is a global leader in the import, export, and distribution of nuts and dried fruits, driven by advanced technology in trading, processing, and retail. Specializing in almonds from Californian, Australian, and Spanish origins, Calconut uses supported AI technology for full product traceability, ensuring transparency and safety throughout the supply chain. The retail division, under the nut&me brand, offers custom-made products and private label solutions, combining technology with consumer needs. At Calconut’s cutting-edge facility in Mutxamel, visitors can see the latest in almond processing technology, supported by AI, including automated lines for blanching, cutting, grinding, roasting and packaging. This facility is at the forefront of almond ingredient production, designed for maximum efficiency and quality product.
Photos courtesy of Calconut
PORT OF VALENCIA – PORTÂ
The Port of Valencia is Spain’s leading Mediterranean port in terms of commercial traffic, mostly containerized cargo. More than 100 regular shipping lines, including the world’s largest shipping companies, operate in Valencia. As the closest commercial port to the Suez-Gibraltar axis (the main route for interoceanic shipping lines), Valencia is the first and last port of call for regular shipping lines operating in the Western Mediterranean. Handling over 4.7 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually, the port processes around 70 million tons of cargo each year. Serving as a key hub between Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, the Port of Valencia features advanced infrastructure with three main container terminals and facilities for liquid bulk, dry bulk, and general cargo.
Photos courtesy of Port of Valencia
To safeguard the businesses involved in the program of the INC On-site Technical Tour, please note that individual companies reserve the right to deny admission to any person.
