Chickpea

Chickpea producers

The chickpeas produced by Sociedad Cooperativa Andaluza Campo de Tejada hold the Garbanzo de Escacena Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) label. It is the fruit of the Cicer arietinum L.

At Campo de Tejada we are producers of “Extra” quality chickpeas, meeting at all times the conditions laid down by the Regulatory Council of the PGI.

To the eye, our chickpeas are characterised by their very light yellowish-white colour and elongated form, flat at the sides, and by their surface irregularities with deep grooves and bumps. As regards the calibre, they must measure a

minimum of 8 millimetres, with up to a maximum of 4% of the harvest having a smaller calibre.

All of our chickpea-producing members know that in a good harvest, 1,000 chickpeas must weigh a minimum of 490 grams.

With respect to the taste and aroma, the Campo de Tejada chickpea has an agreeable taste without foreign flavours, a creamy, non-grainy texture, with a soft, thin skin adhering to the grain and great finesse on the palate.

A lifetime’s experience as chickpea producers

We have been producing chickpeas all of our lives, which is why we have become the benchmark for the sector and we know the best sowing process to achieve the best results. Our fields are located in the historical area known as “Campo de Tejada”, which is an area of fertile land located in the Guadalquivir basin.

In this area, chickpea producers only use plots with Vertisol topoform soil. These are very deep soils with a high clay contents which, due to the lack of

undulations in the land, have drainage problems, with a very high water retention capacity and are very rich in limestone and marl.

For its part, the sowing season runs approximately from 1 January until 30 April. The crop is harvested when the plant reaches physiological maturity and the humidity of the grain is under 13%.

Finally, the product is labelled with a mention of the PGI and numbered guarantee seals which are issued by the Regulatory Council of the quality label.