Aloe vera, aloe of life
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100% organic
When designing an aloe vera plantation, as in any other crop, the characteristics of the plant, its nutritional and climatological requirements must be taken into account so that its development occurs in the best conditions.
Resistant essence
In the case of growing aloe vera plants, we start with an advantage because it is a plant resistant to climatic conditions that is capable of growing in a wide range of temperatures and in dry climates, as long as it has a lot of light, a soil with good drainage and not subject to frost in winter.
Cultivation and harvest
Its cultivation begins with suckers that, after being separated from the mother plant, are transplanted directly or kept for six months with controlled growth in aloe vera nurseries before planting.
Ideal climate
For outdoor cultivation, the best time of year for planting is spring due to its milder climate and higher rainfall, but currently with modern cultivation techniques and the installation of drip irrigation, it can be planted at any time of the year.
Without phytosanitary or chemical fertilizers
At Alover we exclusively produce organic aloe vera plants, meeting the requirements established by European regulations for organic products. We have the certification for organic production from CAAE, the first Spanish certifying entity that is responsible for verifying strict compliance with the normative.
Environmental responsibility
Our aloe vera plantation is located within a family farm of two and a half hectares in the area of Las Caleras, it occupies an area of 4,000 square meters and currently has 4,000 plants protected under greenhouses.
While the most common plantations have a density that ranges between 8,000 and 12,000 plants per hectare, in Alover each aloe occupies a space of 1.20 by 0.80 m, which favors its vegetative development, prevents the appearance of pests and facilitates access for all the manual tasks required to care for the plants.
Irrigation is carried out by self-compensating drippers separated by 33 cm with a flow rate of two litres/hour, which facilitates uniform irrigation and adjusts the humidity level to the needs of the plant at all times.
Our facilities have automated roof windows that allow continuous ventilation in the hottest hours and protect from frost on winter nights. In addition, in the upper part we have installed a canalization system to collect rainwater that feeds a pond used for irrigation.
At Alover we rely on technological innovations to cultivate aloe vera in a sustainable way.
Our aloe vera plantation is located in the municipality of Navahermosa in the region of Los Montes de Toledo, a few kilometers from Toledo capital on the C-401 regional road and in the vicinity of the Cabañeros National Park.
Our land is located in the central west of the peninsula and is characterized by hot and dry summers, with little rainfall, and winters with low night temperatures, but which do not usually reach below zero values.
Our aloe vera plantation is located within a family farm of two and a half hectares in the area of Las Caleras, it occupies an area of 4,000 square meters and currently has 4,000 plants protected under a greenhouse, with automated roof windows that allow the continuous ventilation in the hottest hours and that protect them from frost on winter nights.
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The best raw material
Cultivation and care of aloe vera
Organic production makes the difference with other plantations.
At Alover we only use 100% natural organic fertilizers based on earthworm humus, the result of the transformation produced by the red worms of the manure fermented several times. This way, an organic fertilizer is obtained that lacks the undesirable characteristics of manure and that has the following advantages:
As far as pests and diseases are concerned, aloe vera has few enemies, but as with other plants, when cultivated intensively it can be attacked by pathogens, especially by fungi, in soils with excess moisture and areas with little moisture light, which causes the appearance of spots on the leaves and rotting of the roots.
The best way to keep the plantation healthy is by guaranteeing a well-drained soil, abundant light, and eliminating the weeds that grow between the rows of aloes and that, in addition to serving as a refuge for parasites, compete for the nutrients in the soil with the plants of the aloes.
At Alover we do not use chemical herbicides, but we use anti-weed meshes to control the growth of unwanted vegetation, which favor the protection of the soil against changes in temperature and also conserve moisture.
The Earth and the water
Water
Due to its low water requirements, aloe vera has adapted very well to dry climates such as the interior of the peninsula, thanks to its great capacity to store water, which also makes it extremely sensitive to frost, suffering from temperatures lower than 10ºC.
Land
It grows well in sandy or volcanic soils that are well drained and rich in organic matter. As the aloe vera plant can reach a total height of 1 meter when planted starting from stems or suckers, it is necessary to respect a minimum space so that they grow easily and allow access to collect their leaves.
Among the more than 400 species of aloes that exist, two are mainly cultivated as a medicinal plant:
Aloe Barbadensis Miller
It is the most common variety of aloe plant in the crops of the Iberian Peninsula due to its healing properties and its high yield in the production of gel. It reaches a height of up to one meter, has elongated leaves with spiny edges and its flowers are tubular yellow.
Aloe Ferox Miller
It is a slow-growing species of aloe that can reach a total height of 2-3 meters tall and with bright red flowers. It is characterized by its high content of acíbar (aloína) much higher than that of aloe barbadensis.
In our aloe cultivation we have chosen the barbadensis variety, which plants reach optimal conditions after being harvested for three years after planting, and also allows us to market an ecological aloe gel with a high content of acemannan (mucilage), and of exceptional quality.
The International Aloe Science Council (IASC) is a non-profit organization that brings together growers, processors, marketers and manufacturers of finished products. Its purpose is to establish common standards and improve the practices of the entire community that participates in the aloe industry.
The quality of aloe vera gel is quantified based on its concentration in acemannan and aloin, the IASC establishes as a quality index the content of at least 5% in acemannan and in gels intended for oral consumption, an aloin content of less than 10 ppm of aloin, while in Europe the EFSA (European Food Safety Agency) recommends that the level of aloin and other anthracene derivatives present in latex not exceed 1 ppm.
Factors that determine the quality of aloe vera
At Alover we are organic producers and through the certified techniques that we use in planting, fertilizing and harvesting, we obtain aloe vera leaves with a high percentage of acemannan that is higher than common standards, which determines its superior quality.
We grow organic aloe vera
Little water and lots of sun
At a European level, Spain has become a true paradise for the cultivation of aloe vera, especially on the islands, the south of the peninsula and the Mediterranean basin, where its cultivation has become more intensive in recent years. Since then it has been spreading to other autonomous communities in the center of the peninsula with protected greenhouse plantations that make aloe vera profitable. The current perspective is that more and more hectares are planted.
Currently our production is estimated at about 20,000 kilos per year and our expectation is to incorporate new plants by propagating the aloe that we now have to gradually expand the collection of leaves.
Due to its medicinal properties, our main customers for aloe gel are pharmaceutical laboratories that are dedicated both to the production of natural products in the form of food supplements and to the cosmetics companies.
Given the interest that aloe vera arouses among the general population, in recent months we have opened a new line of business, the retail sale of aloe vera plants in pots with an ornamental nature, both for retail trade to individuals and for nurseries.
Aware of the multiple benefits of aloe vera, our company was established with the aim of producing top quality organic aloe vera. Our business model is based on wholesale sales to the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries that try to respond to consumer demand for aloe vera products.
If you are interested in getting to know us and know more about our plantation and our aloes, we will be happy to provide you with all the information you need.
Sostenible, ecológico, natural y saludable
El nuevo oro verde
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Telephone
Miguel (Technical Department):
+34 647 76 96 49
Alejandro (CFO):
+34 686 83 54 60
Email
Technical department:
tecnico@alover.es
Commercial dept.:
comercial@alover.es
Address
Street Cerro 13
45150 Navahermosa (Toledo)
