The Costa del Sol grower who has developed a sustainable method for his strawberries

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Benjamín Navarta started harvesting the fruit in February in Algarrobo using a hydroponic system without substrate, which multiplies production and saves water

Eugenio Cabezas

Monday, 6 April 2026, 13:26

Algarrobo on the eastern Costa del Sol was a pioneer in Andalucía in the cultivation of strawberries. At the end of the 1960s the experimental farm La Mayora, belonging to the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) introduced a crop that would eventually spread throughout the region and which today has its epicentre in Huelva.

Benjamín Navarta, whose father cultivated strawberries before him, is the driving force behind Fresalgarrobo, a family business that has revived strawberry growing in a part of Andalucía that has become more famous for its subtropical fruit in the last 20 years.

He has introduced new technology in the form of a semi-hydroponic agriculture in greenhouses using the NGS (New Growing System), a patented "recirculating hydroponic growing method without substrate" which allows production almost without soil, without pollutants entering the ground and with precise control of the nutrients that the plant receives, in his case, coconut fibre. The result, Navarta explained to SUR, is a fruit with a distinctive flavour that local consumers are already learning to appreciate.

"It is a fruit with a distinctive flavour that local consumers are already learning to appreciate".

This 47-year-old farmer has 5,000 square metres of greenhouses in Algarrobo, where he produces between 20,000 and 24,000 kilos of strawberries a year. "We have been able to start harvesting in February, which would be completely unthinkable without a greenhouse," explains Navarta, who points out that in traditional open-air crops in the area, the strawberry harvest is totally exposed to bad weather. Thanks to the combination of the greenhouse and the NGS system, Fresalgarrobo is bringing its production forward, which it sells via two distributors in the province: Málaga Natural in the city and Frutas Framian S.L. in Vélez-Málaga.

The secret for Navarta also lies in the planting calendar. He brings sowing forward to November, so that in just three months the plant is ready to bear fruit. "The bulk of the Algarrobo strawberry is generally harvested between February and June", explains Navarta, who goes on to say that he can now extend the harvesting season until June, considerably extending the marketing window.

Prices at source

This time advantage translates directly into price. Navarta manages to sell his production, on average, at between 5.5 and seven euros per kilo, a much higher price than that obtained by growers of conventional strawberry varieties, such as those grown in Huelva, "but which have no flavour at all compared to mine", he points out.

The variety chosen by Navarta reflects a strategy designed to stagger production. After many tests, it has opted for a variety originating in Europe and recognised for its great sweetness and texture. In local markets, the Axarquía strawberry, considered almost a 'gourmet' product, has a loyal clientele who prefer it precisely because of its flavour, which local consumers consider superior to that of the large-scale Huelva production.

Navarta is clear that the way forward is to produce different fruit, at the right time and for the consumer.

The NGS system on which is based works through independent bags of coconut fibre, which act as a substrate. Unlike conventional systems, the cultivation is "semi-hydroponic", in Navarta's words, which means that the water and nutrients circulate in a closed circuit without any discharge into the soil. From an environmental point of view, the farmer argues that it is a "model that respects the environment" especially the Axarquía, where water is a scarce resource and its efficient management is fundamental. Navarta estimates that it saves up to 60 per cent of water compared to conventional cultivation on land.

While Huelva has most of Andalucía's strawberry production with large areas of export-oriented cultivation, in the Axarquía there are still small family farms that are committed to a different model: less volume, more quality and local marketing. Fresalgarrobo embodies this commitment with a combination of history - Algarrobo is the cradle of Andalusian strawberry - and cutting-edge technology. Benjamín Navarta is clear that the way forward is to produce different fruit, at the right time and for consumers who know how to appreciate it.