After 35 years in business, Conserverie de l’Atlas, a well-known name in the canned food industry in the Marrakech region, has entered judicial recovery. The family-owned SME, specializing in canned apricots, olives, and olive oil, is facing a severe crisis after a decade of steady decline.
The company’s revenue has plummeted over the years, dropping from a historic high of several tens of millions of dirhams to just a fraction of that—around ten million—in 2023. This sharp downturn has been attributed to poor management and mounting debt, which eventually suffocated its cash flow and led to a halt in payments.
With an annual production capacity of 6,000 tons of olives and 2,000 tons of apricots, much of which is exported, Conserverie de l’Atlas is now hoping for a turnaround. A recovery plan is expected to be presented in the coming months by its main shareholder to the court-appointed administrator in charge of the case at the Marrakech Commercial Court.
The company’s future hangs in the balance as it fights to avoid the fate of SOMA, a subsidiary of the French group Crespo, which was placed into liquidation in November 2024. With financial troubles mounting, industrial operations at risk, and jobs on the line, the situation remains uncertain. The business is now engaged in a last-ditch effort for survival.
