Grupo La Norteñita facts for kids

Grupo La Norteñita is a big company from Mexico. It is based in Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua. This company is famous for growing, processing, and selling apples. They also make yummy apple products like apple juice, jelly, and jam! While they do raise some cattle, they are mostly known for their amazing apple farms.

How La Norteñita Started

The company began in the 1950s. A couple named Salvador Corral Piñón and Luz Camila Pérez Domínguez started the business. Over time, it grew into the Grupo La Norteñita we know today.

Early Days and Growth

At first, the company traded seeds and animal feed. In 1962, they bought a place called Rancho Santa Elena. This is when they started farming and raising animals.

Planting Apple Trees

In 1968, Salvador Corral decided to plant the company's first apple trees. Friends encouraged him to try it. This small start grew into huge apple orchards! Today, they have about 2,300,000 apple trees. These trees cover a very large area, about 30,000 hectares. This means La Norteñita produces about 60% of all apples grown in Mexico!

Becoming "La Norteñita"

By 1980, the company became officially known as "La Norteñita." In 1983, they opened a special plant. This plant helps cool and pack the apples. It allowed them to sell apples to more places. It also made sure the apples stayed fresh and tasty. Their storage facility is one of the biggest in the world!

Apple Farming in Chihuahua

Chihuahua is a very important place for growing apples in Mexico. About 16 million boxes of apples come from this region each year. Sometimes, 25-30% of these apples are processed into juice or other products. This depends on if there was frost or hail damage.

Climate and Water for Apples

The Chihuahua region is quite dry and sandy. It usually gets only 8 to 15 inches of rain. Most of the rain falls in July and August. For 14 years, the region had a long drought. But deep wells helped save the apple farms by providing water for irrigation.

Protecting Apples from Frost

Frost can be a big problem for apple trees. But farmers in Chihuahua use a clever trick. They use warm water from the wells to water the trees from underneath. This helps protect the trees from freezing temperatures.

What La Norteñita Produces Now

La Norteñita currently has 2,000 hectares of land for growing apples. Each year, they plant new fields with about 250,000 new trees.

Harvest and Apple Types

During the busiest time, which is harvest season, the company employs 5,000 people. They pack about 2 million boxes of apples. They grow a lot of apples, about 50 tons from each hectare. About 30% of their apples are the Red Delicious kind. The other 70% are Golden Delicious apples. They are also starting to grow Gala apples.

Company Headquarters

The main office for La Norteñita was built in 2006. It is located on the highway between Chihuahua and Cuauhtémoc.