Quality is key at La Comba

»The Germans are important to us in every respect. It’s a market with more than 80 million consu­mers who eat plenty of vege­ta­bles. Besides, German traders are reliable.«

Xavier, vege­table grower in the Province of Almería, Deutsch­land­radio Kultur

Food retailers appre­ciate the impro­ve­ments their busi­ness part­ners have achieved over recent years. Our regular certi­fi­ca­tion in accordance with IFS Broker proves that La Comba strongly invests in quality control, product safety and quality manage­ment. Traders reward the importers’ relia­bi­lity in supp­lying tasty fruit and vege­ta­bles by showing their appre­cia­tion and loyalty.

Supported by La Comba, these compa­nies treat consu­mers to high-quality food­s­tuffs that deserve respect at all levels of hand­ling. After all, we are talking here about nouris­hing food to satisfy vital needs and add a sensual enrich­ment to ever­yday life. It’s also about attrac­tive and successful food stores for consu­mers who like the look of crisp lettuce or cour­gettes or whose appe­tite for cher­ries and plums is triggered.

Kind am Kassenband vom Supermarkt
Vater mit Kind als Kunde
»Quality means that it’s the customer who returns, not the commodity.«

Hermann Tietz, German trader (1837–1907)

La Comba orga­nises the procu­re­ment of horti­cul­tural produce from Spain on behalf of retail chains, and is also highly committed to small custo­mers. »Each customer is a special customer to us«, Mana­ging Director Marc Lucena points out.

Marc Lucena’s father Juan Lucena adds that La Comba culti­vates custo­mised busi­ness rela­ti­onships and meets custo­mers‹ speci­fi­ca­tions without hassle: »Even if, on any parti­cular occa­sion, a customer orders only a single pallet, we are happy to accom­mo­date the request!«

»Quality is never an acci­dent. It is always the result of intel­li­gent effort.«

John Ruskin, British art histo­rian (1819–1900)

Our team members dedi­cate all their skills and effort to ensure the reliable supply of apri­cots, clemen­tines and other deli­ca­cies from the Iberian Penin­sula. To safe­guard the quality of services, our members of staff update their know­ledge and refine their talents on a regular basis. Our quali­fied agro­no­mist pulls all the strings in quality assurance.

At La Comba, we get a lot of energy from our Spanish roots, but we have also deve­loped a sure feel for the German menta­lity. Why don’t you have a look and see for yourself which level of exper­tise, energy and spirit your fruit whole­sale experts have to offer?

Hände behüten Pflänzchen
Große Auswahl an Gemüse
»Can we ever have too much of a good thing?«

Miguel de Cervantes, national poet of Spain (1547–1616)

In the winter of 2016, consu­mers savoured more of our toma­toes from Spain than ever. The craving for iceberg lettuce has had no limits for some time now. Kohl­rabi is another vege­table fans of good cuisine have favoured over the past four years. The popu­la­rity of ston­e­fruit has been incre­asing for years now, too.

At La Comba, we know all about how to deal with large ship­ments and seasonal fluc­tua­tions. That’s why both our custo­mers and consu­mers can rely on a full supply of water melons to refresh their hot summer days, and later on in the year citrus fruits by the ton to gene­rate that lovely scent of Christmas. Less wide­spread items such as medlars and figs are also available on request.

»Spain is utter heaven.«

Sylvia Plath, American poet (1932–1963): »Letters home. Corre­spon­dence 1950–1963«

Spanish produ­cers excel in exper­tise they have obtained in horti­cul­ture over gene­ra­tions. Their profes­sio­na­lism has reached a remar­kable level. Public debate on sustaina­bi­lity and related issues have influenced the fruit and vege­table farmers. Well networked, they have shaped the indus­try’s progres­sive evolu­tion and adapted state-of-the-art solu­tions to meet the chal­lenges of the future.

Our suppliers‹ Spanish tempe­ra­ment and sere­nity make dealing with them easy, espe­ci­ally when they share their spirit of vita­lity with La Comba’s staff. Being fami­liar with their customs and ideas about work, salu­ta­tion, food, family and reli­gion also helps La Comba to build good rela­ti­onships. The fact that Germans have loved the Spanish sun and holi­days on Majorca for decades is another advan­tage La Comba enjoys with its Spanish partners.

Weites Feld in Spanien
Orangen mit lachenden Gesichtern
»Who could be sad
looking at the smiling oranges,
gloomy at the scent
of their deli­cate sweetness.«

Giovanni Della Casa, Italian arch­bi­shop (1503–1556)

After the post-War period, which was full of depri­va­tion, Germans deve­loped a real craving for Spanish oranges. Fruit and vege­table exports from Spain started to move into full swing in 1986 when the country joined the then Euro­pean Economic Commu­nity (EEC).

When La Comba was founded in 1994, the German fond­ness for Spanish horti­cul­tural produce continued. Back then, broc­coli, iceberg lettuce and, above all, clemen­tines and oranges were the basic items Cologne-based importers La Comba made available. Today, La Comba’s range includes any kind of produce from classic fruit like pears and lemons and popular vege­ta­bles like sweet pepper and onions to more exotic fruit like avocados and Sharon fruit.