- About three years ago, the Basque Navarre Federation of Rampas began working with other associations and collectives related to sustainable cultivation, analyzing new ways of selling indigenous and quality products to professionals of collective catering. The Iparlab project emerges from this search. “For the peasants, we saw that some sales networks have not been exhaustively worked, such as canteens and restaurants. The idea has been to create a platform and logistics to reach them,” explains Argitxu Iturria, vegetable producer and project member.
The project aims to boost not only the farmers who are already working, but also the younger generations who want to install it, as well as to boost quality cultivation in Iparralde and strengthen existing networks. “To be part of Iparlab we have established a number of quality conditions: in the case of fruits and vegetables, they have to work in biological, or respect Idoki or its quality label,” says Iturri. About 40 producers that are part of the project are divided into five categories: vegetables, dairy, meat, poultry and epizeria. Each of these departments has their own team to reach price consensus.
“On the other hand, we also attach great importance to traceability. Our professional customer knows where the product came from, that is, in addition to the Iparlab label, he also bears the farmer’s label,” he adds. Iparlab offers and distributions aimed at collective catering: restaurants, canteens, nursing homes, day care… “The producers already worked with these professionals, but if a restaurant wanted to call local products, on the one hand the horticulturist, on the other hand the gas station… now, in the same place all occupy them. A comanda, a library,” he said. Professionals buy together on the web and receive all the purchase thanks to Iparlab.
“If there is political will, things are possible”
For the definition and organization of the project, the drivers have done a three-year work, for which the Arrapitz federation created a job. This post, however, has been funded by the Association of Basque Urban Centres. “There we see clearly that when there is political will, things can be brought forward,” says the Source. However, since last year, the Iparlab worker is funded by the platform itself, allocating part of the sales it makes to the project.
For the time being, close to 40 farmers have joined the project, who carry out repairs throughout Iparralde. Looking ahead, he stresses that the project’s doors are open to new farmers. Iparlab is an example of the possibility of alleviating the workload of producers and farmers through collaboration, along with other similar projects in the Basque Country.