The Spring Errigora campaign gave its first data this year: A total of 93,000 litres of oil, 207,000 of preserves and 11,000 kilos of rice have been requested. The results are not delicate. But who are behind Errigora? We found one of them in the van, handing over canned boxes by village, and we took advantage of it to do an interview. Jose Mari Munarriz Marturet is the owner of La Churta. Sell asparagus, fried tomato or organic peppers through Errigora.

When did you join the Errigora project?

We left with Errigora from the beginning. If I am not mistaken, Ángel Iturri and I were the first, we have been collaborating for five or six years.

Have you been running this small company La Churta for a long time?

Conservas Allo was founded in 1982 by local self-employed producers to ship asparagus. I entered 1984, and although we did it for self-consumption, in 1989 we began to market products. After several years of change, we finally set up an ENS – the Agrarian Processing Society – among the three producers and we continue to move forward.

You chose to produce in an ecological model.

Yes. In the early 1990s, I was revolving around the environmental movements, and then I began to become aware. I decided that my way of thinking also had to be reflected in my work, and with the help of some of those who worked in organic production in Catalonia, here we also started to move the issue. At first we had lectures and the intention was to bring people together, as well as to talk to other producers. We would have done well, because in these years the evolution has been quite good!

What drew you to the Errigora project?

The truth is that when they explained the initiative to me for the first time I did not understand it very well, but later, as I got to know, I saw that Errigora was fully in agreement with my philosophy: it drives the local market, values the local product and is committed to agroecology.

And when it comes to production, what did it give you?

At first they were not large quantities, but after the evolution of these years the sale has increased considerably, and for us it is a good option. I assume that in the coming years it will be consolidated, because the leap that has taken place in some years has been spectacular. On the other hand, through Errigora a link has also been made between the producers, it is a meeting point for us.