Rafael Sánchez de Puerta, general director of Dcoop, has urged this Tuesday the central Government to "get involved," just as the Italian Executive has done —which "has taken sides"—, in the sale process of Deoleo, considered the main distributor of oil in Andalusia.
Deoleo, owner of well-known brands such as Carbonell, Koipe, Hojiblanca, and Bertolli, is immersed in a change of ownership process in which the Italian company Coricelli has positioned itself as the main candidate after presenting an offer of 500 million.
In an interview on Canal Sur television reported by Europa Press, Sánchez de Puerta emphasized that "the Government of Italy has taken sides" and demanded that the Spanish Executive also get involved "so that Deoleo remains a Spanish and Andalusian company." "We want Spanish olive oil to be recognized in the world, and I believe we have all the reasons in the world for leadership in production and for the work we are doing in quality," he emphasized.
As he explained, "we have the opportunity for that leadership in production to manifest itself in the markets and also around the world. We have to see how events unfold and see what role the Government of Spain plays," he defended.
The general director of Dcoop —an agri-food cooperative that groups thousands of families dedicated to agriculture and livestock— admitted that the operation is proving to be "complicated." "There is an offer that is currently ahead, which is that of Coricelli, and what we have to do is wait for events. We have made an offer, we are in the process, but we cannot be in a permanent auction that we do not know what level it will take us to. Our offer is above what we initially had planned and we believe it is above what is a reasonable price for the company," he added.
"Coricelli —he concluded— is a well-known and identified Italian family, and they are exercising the possibility of acquiring that company which has many attractions. What we want is that, if we could finally acquire Deoleo, it would help us to promote our brands and be a launchpad for the image of olive oil from Spain and its recognition in the world," he argued.