November 2007,Vinos & mas by Patricio Tapia: “However, the vineyard Loma Larga has gone above and beyond by planting 12 hectares of the grape and launching its first harvest of pure cabernet franc in 2005. This is the first franc from the Casablanca Valley”
strong>The family run company in Casablanca expects to exceed 8,000 crates this year and strengthen its position abroad with prices reaching US$130 a crate.
The vineyard Loma Larga, located in the Casablanca Valley started selling its wines in 2005. Last year, the Diaz family company, present in 12 countries, sold 3,000 crates, and at the start of this year has already booked orders for the same amount. That’s why Felipe Diaz, the general manager of the company, aspires to selling over 8,000 crates. The idea of producing wine came about because we “wanted to develop an agricultural business that was sustainable over time and I felt there was an interesting market in wines”, stated Diaz.
With prices between US$60 and US$130 a crate, the company exports to 12 countries; the U.S., England and Brazil their main markets. We aim to continue opening new business opportunities abroad and continue growing in terms of planted vines. “There’s potential enough to keep planting and producing expensive wines. I realized there’s an interesting market for high value wines”, explained the manager of Loma Larga.
The vineyard, settled on 147 hectares of vines, exports 95% of its wines. “It’s uncommon to find balance so quickly. The challenge is in maintaining the business in the long term with more sophisticated clients who have no solvency issues” stated Diaz.
The vineyard also commercializes approximately 10,500 kilos of grape which are sold for an average of US$1.3 a kilo. “In the Casablanca Valley prices are generally high because the land is really some of the best you can find. We have also been acknowledged for how we manage the fruit and as a result have been able to gradually increase our prices” affirmed the businessman.
