The promotional campaign for local products incorporates this protected fruit in all El Corte Inglés supermarkets in the Valencian Community starting today. The Loquat from Callosa d’en Sarrià joins the “Seasonal Flavours Km 0” campaign of El Corte Inglés, an initiative that promotes and encourages the consumption of local products from the Valencian Community at their seasonal best and which has the collaboration of the Inboga agency.

With this addition, all ‘El Corte Inglés’ supermarkets nationwide will offer their customers this fruit, considered a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for its distinctive quality, thus reinforcing the company’s commitment to local products, local agriculture, and zero-kilometre gastronomy. In fact, the chain’s supermarkets only offer their customers loquats recognized and protected by the Regulatory Council of the PDO Loquats from Callosa d’en Sarrià.

The “Seasonal Flavours Km 0” initiative promoted by El Corte Inglés reinforces its commitment to bringing consumers seasonal products with their own identity, supporting local producers and promoting the agri-food wealth of the Valencian Community. The launch was presented on the terrace of the GastroMercat of El Corte Inglés Colón, in Valencia, at a gastronomic event in collaboration with chef Carlos Beltrán, from the Mont-Sant restaurant in Xàtiva. During the meeting, Beltrán demonstrated live that this typical fruit of the Marina region could be elevated to haute cuisine with a ‘Loquat Tartare from Callosa d’en Sarrià with coconut and mackerel ajoblanco’, a culinary proposal designed to highlight the gastronomic versatility of this fruit, combining regional tradition, local product, and contemporary techniques.

The tasting was accompanied by the white wine Casa Agrícola 2025, from the Alicante wineries Pepe Mendoza, integrated in the PDO Vinos de Alicante. A wine that represents Pepe Mendoza’s most personal project, based on sustainability, respect for the land, and the interpretation of Alicante’s wine-growing landscapes.

A characteristic product of the Marina Baixa

The Loquat from Callosa d’en Sarrià thus joins a selection of Valencian products already present in “Seasonal Flavours Km 0”, such as Valencian clòtxina mussels, Alboraya tiger nuts, tomata de penjar from Alcalà de Xivert, citrus fruits from the Valencian Community, Vinalopó grapes, kaki persimmon from the Ribera del Xúquer, and artichokes from Benicarló. In addition to purchasing the product in supermarkets, customers will also have access to the recipe developed by Carlos Beltrán to discover new ways of consuming this fruit, also known as “the fruit of beauty” for its richness in carotenoids, associated with skin care.

Originally from Asia, the loquat found exceptional conditions for its cultivation in the Mediterranean basin, and especially in the Alicante region of the Marina Baixa. The towns of Callosa d’en Sarrià and Altea concentrate the main national production, recognized and protected as a Protected Designation of Origin. Rich in potassium, fibre, and prebiotic compounds, the Loquat from Callosa d’en Sarrià stands out both for its nutritional benefits and for its territorial identity, becoming one of the most emblematic products of Alicante agriculture.

Report by ’24/7 Valencia’ team

Article copyright ’24/7 Valencia’

More Information: elcorteingles.es