Unaproliva, a Jaén-based laboratory founded in 1994, is one of the reference laboratories in Spain for the olive oil and other vegetable fats sector, being one of the few laboratories in the country to be recognized by the International Olive Oil Council (“COI”), both for physicochemical analysis and for contaminants. Its degree of specialization has led large operators in the olive value chain (producers, processors and marketers) to entrust their quality controls to Unaproliva.
For Mariola Gómez, head of the laboratory and founding partner, “joining the AGQ Labs group will provide us with an important international projection, given their positioning in countries where olive oil is very important, such as Tunisia, Italy, Portugal, Morocco, Chile, Argentina and the United States”. Manuel José García, CEO of AGQ Labs states that “this operation is in line with our objective of seeking specialization in specific niches. And for this we understand that the best option is to incorporate an expert center in oil quality and purity to our network of laboratories that already have an expertise accumulated over the years, which has given them a solid position and prestige”. According to Arantxa Benito, general manager of AGQ Labs in Spain, “Unaproliva will continue to serve its customers from its headquarters in Jaén as usual, with the advantage that it will now be able to complement its range of analyses with the AGQ Labs portfolio of more extensive food safety services, as well as agronomic and environmental services”.
AGQ Labs has a network of 20 laboratories, around 1,200 professionals and is present in 30 countries in Europe, Africa, America and Asia, developing its activity in the sectors of agriculture, food, mining, water cycle, industry, energy, food supplements and pharmaceuticals.