From the origin to today
On 12 December 1980, the Constituent Assembly of the new Association of Cooperatives of Terres de Lleida, today’s ActelGrup, takes place, and a Board is appointed.
The first Steering Committee is appointed by the Extraordinary General Assembly, held on 6 March 1981 and presided by Pere Boldú. At the end of this first financial year, L’Agrupació unites 107 cooperatives (all in the Supplies section, 49 in the Cereals section and 27 in the Fruit section).
Following principles such as the preference for commercial partnership between cooperatives for both supply and distribution, exploiting the benefits of inclusion and a commitment to serving members’ needs, L’Agrupació participates in the constitution of the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives and three of its members are elected to the first Board.
The Cereals section constitutes the APA (Agricultural Producers’ Association). It is a pioneering experience in concentrating cereal offer.
The most important news in the year 1987 is the creation of Central d’Assegurances, an insurance agency for the consultancy, hiring and guaranteeing of insurance policies in the cooperative world.
L’Agrupació, with the brands Actel, Newton and Capfrut, is established as the first sweet fruit exporter. In the same year, the fruit sales network is expanded to Portugal, Italy and Germany and the sale of fruit to European countries for processing is begun.
L’Agrupació becomes the commercial brand ACTEL (Association of Cooperatives of Terres de Lleida).
L’Agrupació promotes and participates financially in the creation of Transalfals, a second-tier cooperative for the manufacture of forages.
After three very hard fruit seasons, the need to pursue a common sales strategy is clear. This realisation serves as the seed for the shared marking team (ECU) project. The aim is to create an inclusive, charitable and equitable organisation of fruit producing cooperatives.
The Catalan Council of Organic Agricultural Production (CCPAE) is the control authority in Catalonia and its purpose is to audit and certify organic Catalan agricultural and food products.
ACTEL acquires some of its facilities from La Pràctica Agricultural Cooperative and moves its company headquarters to Vall d’Aran road, thereby beginning to occupy offices of its own. The company’s first main office is located in the Caixa Rural Provincial of Lleida, on Rambla Ferran, and later moved to the annex building. When the office was expanded in 1986, it was moved into a rental space at Mercolleida, where it remained until the move to the current building. In this period of time, the commercial brand ACTEL is established as the company’s new name. A qualityservice is also created to supervise the production, post-harvest and processing of the fruit to ensure that it complies with the characteristics established with the clients.
During these years, Actel has 29 associated fruit cooperatives marketing together through the Fruit Section programme. Due to the new Common Market Organization (OCM), the Fruit and Vegetable Produces Organization (OPFH) qualification is renewed.
In 1998, Actel embarks upon its most ambitious project: the Fruit Logistics Centre of Térmens. The land is purchased and construction is begun. This infrastructure will facilitate fruit production and optimise processing.
The inauguration of the Fruit Logistics Centre takes place on 4 November 2000 and is presided over by the president of the Government of Catalonia, Jordi Pujol. The new facility has made it possible to increase the sale of manufactured products and revenues.
This same year, the President of Actel receives the Prize for Cooperation awarded by the Labour Department of the Government of Catalonia.
Actel obtains ISO 9001-2000 certification for the Fruit Logistics Centre in Térmens, which, in its third year, incorporates a second work shift.
Actel participates in the creation of Fruit Futur (along with IRTA and other companies from the sector), to obtain new apple and pear varieties, in collaboration with Hort Research of New Zealand.
Actel changes its corporate image to enter a new stage and reveal itself as a strong business group rooted in the cooperative world and introduces the GRUP ACTEL concept.
It is an agricultural production system for high-quality food and other products which uses natural resources and regulatory mechanisms to prevent harmful contributions to the environment, guaranteeing a sustainable form of agriculture in the long term.
An ISO certificate is a quality guarantee which proves useful for the agency itself and for the clients, as both can rely on the certainty that the standards offered are the highest possible.
The Logistics Centre in Térmens is visited by Prince Felipe in June 2003.
Grup Actel becomes the first cooperative in Catalonia and the first company in Lleida to earn the 2003 Catalonia Prize for Technological Innovation, awarded by the Generalitat (government of Catalonia).
BRC certification ensures that we comply with the requisites which guarantee the safety, quality and legality of our fruit.
GLOBALG.A.P. establishes voluntary standards used to certify agricultural products all around the world. The protocol is based on food safety criteria. It contemplates production techniques with the goal of a controlled use of phytosanitary products to minimise the impact of wastes on food, man and his environment.
We build 100 lodging units for temporary workers at the Logistics Centre, subsidised by the European Union.
Grup Actel absorbs Agroles, a company which produces and sells extra virgin olive oil, grenache wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and packaged nuts and also makes arbequina and black olive paté, in a range of products from organic to conventional and with some very well-known brands: Germanor and Romanico.
Grup Actel decides to create its first strategic plan. A plan which intends to position the group in the market, consolidate the project while generating value for its members and professionally develop workers in both the central services and first-tier cooperatives.
BRC certification ensures that we comply with the requisites which guarantee the safety, quality and legality of our olive oil and vinegar.
Our pears are certified with Protected Designation of Origin Pera de Lleida, as they belong to the three authorised varieties (Llimonera, Blanquilla and Conference) and come from the registered plantations located in the area of production, farmed according to a protocol of good agricultural practices, such as Integrated Production GLOBALG.A.P. or the equivalent. Moreover, the fruits are only handled in the factories and warehouses authorised by the DOP itself.
Our balsamic vinegars of Modena are manufactured respecting the highest quality standards. The IGP (protected geographical indication) guarantees the quality, origin and flavour of our vinegars.
For the first time, an agreement with the Aspros Private Foundation is signed. Aspros is a nonprofit organisation which has been working since 1962 to promote the inclusion and quality of life of people with diverse abilities, mainly intellectual disabilities and mental illness.
On 7 May 2011, a day of fellowship for all Grup Actel members, workers and family members is celebrated at the Fruit Logistics Centre. The programme includes activities for children, oil tastings, contests, and guided tours of the facility and ends with a farmer’s stew for all attendants.
The Lleida City Council presented the plaque for Scientific and Research Merit to Grup Actel for its work performed in Lleida these last 30 years, which has contributed to improving citizens’ quality of life.
ActelGrup’s new symbol represents the sum of the companies that make up the group and evokes a visual reading of the communicative concepts of union, cooperation, dynamism and the letter A for Actel.
GRASP (GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice) is a voluntary, ready-to-use module designed to assess social practices. Good agricultural practice is not just about products: it’s about people as well.
A strategic plan marked by the organisational changes designed to redraw and establish the group’s new strategy. It stands out for the creation of the departments of agricultural production, industrial production, quality and innovation, administration and finances and expansion.
On 26 April, the tape is cut on the shop of cooperative foods, Qêviris.
To make the installations more competitive and achieve more logistical quality, numerous actions are taken at the Centre, with the expansion of the packaging warehouse, the acquisition of a new calibration machine, new mesh net packing machines, new refrigeration chambers in reception and the adaptation of parking for workers.
FUNDE is the Association of Entrepreneurs, Directors and Professionals which awarded this year’s prize in the category of equal opportunities in the professional sphere and work-life balance to ActelGrup.
The arbequina variety extra virgin olive oil Agroles wins the silver medal in Japan’s most important extra virgin olive oil competition organised by the sommeliers association OSAJ of Japan.
ActelGrup earns this distinction due to the agreement it has kept since 2002 with the Aspros Foundation, a leading organisation in the promotion of awareness-raising actions on psychological disabilities which runs programmes designed to further the social and professional inclusion of people with disabilities.
This award, granted by the Confederation of Cooperatives of Catalonia and accepted by the president of ActelGrup, has been made public in a ceremony led by the vice president of the Government, Oriol Junqueras. In the 1st edition, the jury has recognised ActelGrup for its projects on cooperation and internationalisation and for its contribution to Catalan society, to the cooperative movement and for knowing how to transfer cooperative values.
The Seu Vella of Lleida hosted the ceremony to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Central d’Assegurances, whose 100 or so attendants included representatives of cooperative companies and other organisations of the agricultural industry sector, and also the main insurance companies.
The 2017-2019 Strategic Plan is the result of a year of analysis and reflection, with a more rigorous, more professional and more transparent cooperative business approach to accomplish the primary goal of improving the members’ revenues.
The president of ActelGrup and the rector of the UdL sign a four-year cooperative agreement for the execution of instructional activities for members.
On 12 March, diplomas are issued to the students who have successfully completed the course in Agricultural Business Management in the Cooperative World organised by ActelGrup and the University of Lleida. The programme has been imparted by professors from the University of Lleida and Navarra and expert researchers from IRTA have also participated.
IFS certification demonstrates that we comply with the requisites of European wholesalers when it comes to the quality and safety of oil and vinegar.
In the framework of corporate social responsibility, a series of actions have been initiated to fulfil our commitment to the ethical and social sphere.
On 30 October in the auditorium of Foment del Treball in Barcelona, the ceremony for the 1st El Economista Prizes for Business Excellence was held, at which ActelGrup was awarded the Prize for Business Excellence for Commitment to Quality.
Coinciding with the World Day of Social Justice, the Lleida City council recognises ActelGrup for its implication with society.
This new image corresponds to the cooperative group’s intention to transmit the values of proximity and connection to its members and clients, the solidity and sustainability of the group, and leadership based on the people who work every day to position ActelGrup as a leader in its areas of business.
Aspira24 is the name of the strategic plan which, in terms of revenues, will lead the Grup to reach the figure of 275 million euros in 2024. Moreover, the actions foreseen will make it possible to strengthen the relationship with the foundational cooperatives and producers, also reinforcing our cooperative’s brand and key values: innovation and focus on results.
atec: is the brand which defines the new way of doing things on an organisational level. It is a cross-cutting area within ActelGrup whose purpose is to offer full service to the affiliate/producer of our cereal and fruit cooperatives.
GMP+ certification demonstrates that we comply with all the requirements and conditions to guarantee the safety of animal feed. GMP+ is an internationally recognised programme for managing animal feed safety.
Kosher certification guarantees consumers that the manufacturing of the products and ingredients it contains comply with kosher food policy and, in addition, is an indicator that the product complies with the strictest standards of cleaning, purity and quality.
AgroActiva’t is the name we have given to the annual training programme geared solely toward our members.
An application is launched to give members access to all the information on their farm operations and insurance plans, as well as on the rest of Actel’s products, in real time and just a click away.
The new branch based in Zaragoza is inaugurated, with the aim of supporting the service provided to Aragonese member cooperatives.
