Spain, leading the production worldwide
Spain, and more specifically, Aragon, due to its unique location and climate has become the indisputable world's leader producer followed at considerable distance by France and Italy. Globally, the Truffle production has always been dominated by Europe. Only recently and far from Mediterranean basin, that gives our truffle the unique and distinctive flavor, some other players have entered into the market albeit with a much lower quality and production volumes.
Aragon: best climate with the best infrastructure
From a total of 10.000 hectares dedicated to the black truffle production in Spain, as much as 75% are located in the province of Aragon, converting this region in the uncontested biggest producer of the fungus worldwide. In particular, only our province, Teruel, accounts for nearly 29% of the national exports.
Production data
While in other areas and of France Tuber Melanosporum has only seen his production dwindle, in Aragon, on the contrary, the volume produced and exported increases by the season.The cultivation boasted a mean annual production of 47 tons per year during the period 2013–2018, having more than 20,000 hectares currently planted and a staggering 80, 100, and 104 collected tons during the last three seasons (2018/19, 2019/20, and 2020/21, respectively)
Truffe du Perigord
Spain accounts for 70% of truffle imports into Franceabsorbing around 50% of the total national production and often sold as local best-quality Truffe du Perigord into the highly demanding French market.
Best quality at a better price
By avoiding intermediaries, enables us, in Aragon, to drop and adjust prices to the ever-increasing demand, making now an affordable market, not only to luxurious restaurants and gourmet shops but also to households and small restaurants and businesses. Indeed, over the last 5 years, even the maximum price hit by the Spanish wholesale truffle remained 170€/Kg less the average price in the French market which is normally around 450€/kg.
Less intermediaries, fairer prices
Over the last 5 years, the price of the French truffle has risen 2.5 or even 3 times the price of the Spanish truffle. On the average French truffle is sold under prices 77% higher than those prices in the Spanish market. This shows the increase of prices due to the presence of intermediaries buying Aragonese truffle in local Spanish markets and selling later in France at more than triple the original wholesale price.
Forecasts
It is expected that Europe will lead the growth in the truffle market in the upcoming years. Spain, as the first continental producer, will keep being at the forefront of the production worldwide. Today, the global truffle market can be estimated at $102 million and it is expected to grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 7% until 2024, Europe accounting for up to 35% of that growth.
Mora de Rubielos, the market
Mora de Rubielos in Teruel, has become the most important market in the world, where its affordable prices are just unmatchable. His location in the Jiloca valley neighboring Sarrion, the worlds capital-village of the black truffle, enables producers to set competitive prices that could be as much as three times cheaper than their counterpart French markets of Lalbenque, Richerenches or St. Jean d'Algéry.
The low-grade Indicum truffle
La under-par Tuber Indicum truffle may be fraudulently passed off as real Melanosporum. In these cases, harvesters see their premium product being rapidly devalued. A mix of European and Asiatic truffles is then re-exported around the world, and unsuspecting restaurateurs found themselves paying top price for a disappointing product. At L'Aragonais all our truffles are grown in our fertile lands of Aragon and carefully selected to give you the unique aroma of the Melanosporum variant.
Legislation
L'Aragonais strictly complies with all applicable regulations both at the European and at the National level. The UNECE Standard FFV-53 delimits a first regulatory framework for the marketing and quality control of truffles. At the national level, the former law governing the production of truffles, the Ley de Montes that is complemented by the Decreto 1688/72 that is considered the legal reference and framework for the sector.
