Málaga cucumber cooperative awarded compensation by Hamburg court over E.Coli scare

The Frunet Co-op in Algarrobo (Málaga province) says it lost 'practically all of its customers and suppliers' when cucumbers it exported to Germany were blamed for an outbreak of the deadly intestinal virus E.Coli, an epidemic which caused dozens of deaths in the central European country.

Sales director for Frunet, Richard Söpenberg, says that although the co-op had sued for €2.3 million, the case was more about clearing its name than earning back the money it had lost through the unfair finger-pointing at its produce.

“The judge in Hamburg has recognised that we did nothing wrong, and we are very proud and happy about that - above and beyond the compensation awarded, what's most important is the restitution of the company's good name,” Söpenberg revealed.

The exact amount of compensation due to Frunet has not been confirmed, and 'the ball is now in Hamburg's court' in terms of negotiations with the cooperative for the financial and reputation damage caused.

“I hope this will all end soon, but as yet it's not over yet – the city-State of Hamburg has never been willing to pay us and has pushed us to the limits to prove that we had nothing to do with the E.Coli epidemic.”

The cooperative's sales manager says he 'trusts the case will serve as a learning curve', since it highlights the extent of harm an 'unfounded accusation' can cause any firm.

“Pointing the finger at a company can destroy it completely in seconds, and this is something that could happen to any firm in the world,” Söpenberg warned.

“Fortunately, we've managed to rebuild our company from scratch, and we're at last back to the level of production and sales that we were at before the cucumber crisis.”