In the Heart of Castellón, Trust is the Main Ingredient of the Truffle
Raúl Martín spends every day tending to a truffle plantation in the heart of Castellón that has been growing for years. For him, behind every truffle lies time, effort, and, above all, a long-term commitment based on trust.
In this interview, Raúl speaks with Gerard Llorens (Purchasing and Truffle Grower Manager at Laumont) about the importance of reclaiming family legacy, Spain’s role as a world leader in production, and why transparency is the fundamental pillar between the grower and the company. A true portrait of what it means to be part of the Laumont Truffle Growers.
(If you prefer, you can watch the video interview by clicking here)
Raúl, tell us a bit about the origin of this estate.
We are at an estate in Villahermosa del Río. It is a plantation that is about to turn 11 years old. The land belonged to my grandmother's family; we reclaimed it and decided to bet on the truffle.
What do you do and how long have you been in the truffle world?
As I mentioned, we are in Villahermosa del Río (Castellón). The plantation is reaching its 11th year. The estate was already part of my grandmother's family; we recovered it and decided to start the plantation to dedicate ourselves to this professionally.
How did your project on this family estate begin?
As I said, the land was already in my family. By reclaiming it, we wanted to give it a new life. Now that we are professionally dedicated to truffles, we look for the stability and professionalism that a product like this requires.
Why is trust so important in this sector?
For us, it is everything. The truffle sector is trust. Since we do this professionally, we need a company that provides the security of knowing we won't be deceived. The relationship between the grower and the company must be total for the project to work in the long term.
What do you value most about working with Laumont?
What I value most is knowing they are there from the very first moment, from the first week of the season. It gives me great peace of mind to know they will give me a fair price according to the market every week. It is a relationship based on respect and commitment, season after season.
Spain is the world's largest producer; is the origin valued enough?
Today we can be quite proud to say that we are among the few who defend the "Spain origin." Historically, the truffle gained fame through other countries, but today Spain is the leader and we have to make that known. Customers need to know where the truffle comes from and that, even if they aren't used to this origin, the quality we have here is exceptional.
What does it mean to you to be a "Laumont Truffle Grower"?
To me, a Laumont Truffle Grower must be someone who shares the same philosophy. The truffle is a high value-added product and requires trust at every stage: from production in the field to the final commercialization. It’s about being part of a team that values professionalism.
