A column dedicated to the original thinkers and mavericks. Juan Bolaños Jurado spearheads the successful BioCórdoba project, the first Spanish organic food event for the trade industry.

SJP: Why should we choose organic food?
JBJ: Organic food is our contribution to a positive and sustainable change of the food chain.

SJP: Tell me about Bio Cordoba and its relationship with Spanish organic food industry today.
JBJ: BioCordoba is the only trade event exclusively dedicated to organic food and drinks in Spain. Now in its twelth year the show has matured along with the industry into a professional platform where the whole of the Spanish organic sector meets every year to create, develop and secure business.

SJP: You have always been very passionate about organic food business in Spain, before it becomes trendy. What is the potential for growth there?
JBJ: Spain is identified as the next European market to show great potential growth:
1) The spanish organic market can rise to €1.2000m annually, four times its current size.
2) Organic may accounts for 2% of total expenditures on
food and beverages in Spain
3) The average per person Spain expenditure rate on organic food and drink may multiply by six in the next years

The Spanish market is currently worth €300m. 2005 was an extremely successful year for the whole organic industry in Spain, which is growing at annualized rate of almost 50%.

The average per person Spain expenditure rate on organic food and drink is around €6 in 2005 (Source: FIBL), compared to €27 in Europe, €42 in Germany, €30 in the United Kingdom, €32 in France.

SJP: How do Andalusian farmers respond to organic farming?
JBJ: They have always found organic farming as an excellent way to match traditional agriculture with modern techniques. 50% of Spanish total organic land is located in Andalusia.

SJP: It seems like you are seeing positive results now.
JBJ: Andalusian organic farmers have a well deserved reputation in the most competitive markets such as USA, Japan, UK, France. In the beginning, Spaniards did not really paid real attention to organic food. Thank god, this is changing and you can increasingly find organic food in more and more outlets.

Organic food selection in Andalusia is getting as wide as the whole Andalusian food range. You can even find caviar, trout, sturgeon, ready meals,etc. You can find Andalusian organic food in the main British supermarkets chains, as Sainsbury or TESCO.

SJP: Tell me the mariquitas story.
JBJ: Mariquitas or ladybirds are natural enemy of vines threatening bugs. Organic farmers are encouraged to explore the use of biological control agents in preference to chemical alternative for insect problems.

SJP: Sounds great. I know they are using owls to control mice in some palm oil plantations in South East Asia. They used to use breed cobras for this. But they ended up injuring the farmers too.

So what is an Andalusian philosophy on food and life?
JBJ: Food is 10% feeding, 60% sensation and 30% socialising. It begins with the family, where we meet around food. It is a serious business for my parents generation. I guess it's a Mediterranean thing.

There is this TV programme: 'You are what you eat'. This is true. If you eat hotdog, you are a hotdog. We don't eat fast food much in Spain. My friends and I in Córdoba have this tradition where we meet up to eat chick peas stew we make ourselves. Eating should be an aesthetic ritual that involves all your senses. That's why we are so passionate about food.

We have this old saying, "Las cosas claras y chocolate espeso". Meaning everything must be clear but your chocolate must to be thick. There's a nice story about this saying too. When chocolate first came from the Americas, there were two types — thick Spanish chocolate and thin French style that is more common nowadays. They were at war then, so the Francophiles always insisted on having their chocolate the French way.

SJP: Which one is better?
JBJ: The thick Spanish chocolate, of course.

www.biocordoba.com