Meet one of the plantations where cherry pear tomato is produced par excellence.
El Alquián’s neighborhood is a tomato zone par excellence inside the ecosystem of Almeria's agriculture. In its entrance, coming from Almería, greenhouse rows take place in where they stand out among the others. Situated at the left side of the road, a 17.000 square metres plantation rises and welcomes Caparrós business’ headquarters: Lobello’s Museum.
Lobello’s Museum is the most emblematic Caparrós’ greenhouse and one of the fruits and vegetables’ symbol born since 1984. It’s a gothic type multi-tunnel plantation, called in this way because its archs follow architectural’s style that dominated continental Europe during Late Middle Ages. This greenhouse isn’t whatever; it has received visits from numerous city mayors, national political leaders, mass media like Canal Sur or Spanish Television, foreign countries delegations, and of course, children visits on school age, social and environmental organizations. The interest’s secret that the Museum awakes resides on its inside: a more than one hectare and a half orchard where its produced one of the best food cultivated in Almería’s fields: Lobello’s cherry pear tomato.
Lobello’s cherry tomato
This intense red product is one of Caparrós’ crown jewel. Its oval shape and its fine and soft texture are attributes that complement the most characteristic element of this solanaceous native Almería: its great flavour. The balance between sweetness and acidity that Lobello has is simply worthy to admire. It’s a tomato that’s between 11 and 12 brix degrees, which makes it one of the most tasty variety of the market, just as ‘’Flavour of the Year’’ recognition, that Lobello’s tomato has obtained during these last three years (2019, 2020 and 2021), proves.
The Museum is one of the houses where Lobello lives before being harvested. Here, its life-cycle has place in august, where first plants are being planted, until the start of june, season where the last products of the campaign are being picked. In summer months, cleaning tasks and remodeling get prominence in the greenhouse to put it in perspective the next campaign.
A special harvest
Another one of Lobello’s Museum attractiveness is in the harvesting NGS system being used for the production of this product. It’s a recirculating system that allows a maximum use of the plant, as much as the water like the provided nutrients. The plants are situated at 50 centimetres from the ground inside large plastic bags, leaving a separation space of 30 centimetres between plant and plant. Inside the bags, a circuit is created in which water and nutrients, introduced by a dropper in the system, runs. Thanks to this, roots absorb the provided necessary nutrients. When the route that supplies follow ends, the excess is again introduced in the system, so the waste is non-existent.
For all these reasons, Lobello’s Museum has transformed into a social attraction. Apart from its important role as a production place, this greenhouse reflected the innovative effort of Caparrós’ business in its bet for the environmental sustainability, a value that adds up to every Lobello’s tomato kilogram harvested in this greenhouse.