Dcoop, the agri-food cooperative headquartered in Antequera, posted a record turnover of 1,236.9 million euros last year, marking a 21.1% rise from the prior year. The group has charted a path of rising exports and new activities, while acknowledging a year shaped by diminished production across several sectors and higher costs for inputs such as raw materials, fuels, and machinery.
However, the cooperative, led by Antonio Luque, cautions that 2023 brought a sharp production decline. The lessons of the previous year weigh on the current outlook, even as the business presses forward.
Management notes that the 2021/22 harvests achieved some sales, yet many member farms faced income shortfalls and sharply higher production costs, including fuel, electricity, feed, and phytosanitary products. Despite this, Dcoop reports a notable rise in exports, reflecting a resilient export orientation amid domestic agricultural pressures.
The drought gripping much of Spain added to the challenge, with respect to olive groves for both table and oil seeing volumes shrink by more than half in the 2022/23 campaign. This frail output could foreshadow a tighter supply in the upcoming season as dry conditions persist.
Drought also affected the cereal sector and the wine segment, while farmers in dairy, goat, pork, and cattle sectors faced decreased production alongside rising costs, even in a market where prices remained high.
Oil production continues to drive
The oil division remained the main revenue generator in 2022, contributing 681.4 million euros and climbing 21.2% from 2021, when sales reached 561.8 million. In the olive segment, turnover rose significantly by 22.4%, reaching 118.5 million euros (versus 96.8 million in 2021).
Explaining the trend, management observed that prices rose at the point of origin even as yields declined. The forecast for the 2023/24 campaign points to continued pressure if rainfall does not improve, potentially amplifying price-driven dynamics.
The supply segment — covering fuels, machinery and spare parts, fertilizers and plant protection products, storage for cooperative members, and mobile services — rose by 26.10% versus 2021, reaching a record 151.4 million invoices. The rise in input costs weighs on producer profitability and remains a central concern for the cooperative’s strategy.
The livestock division, integrated with commercialization and including feed, various animal species (white pigs, goats, and beef cattle) and animal health, posted a turnover of 130.8 million euros, up 15.1% from 2021.
The goat dairy industrialization program, with facilities in Lebrija (Seville) and Antequera, achieved 28.5 million euros in turnover last year compared with 22.8 million in 2021, marking a 24.73% growth as the new activity scales up within the cooperative.
In wines, business volume also climbed, setting a new peak by growing from 66.9 million euros in 2021 to 83 million euros in 2022, an increase of about 24%. In cereals, turnover declined to 19.5 million euros in 2022, down 36.2% from 2021’s 30.6 million euros.
Hazelnut diversification
Dcoop has pursued a bold strategy in nuts, expanding product lines through partnerships in peanuts and almonds. This diversification helped the 2022 turnover, which rose by 62.8% to reach 24.2 million euros.
Finally, pomace operations reached 16.2 million euros last year, more than doubling the previous year’s 7.3 million euros, underscoring a broader push to capitalize on byproducts and value-added processes within the group.