"We are looking for growers to sell their stonefruit for fair prices"

The price situation of stonefruit has been dramatic for much of the current campaign, with many growers even losing the money invested in the production.

Portals such as LaMejorNaranja are offering growers the possibility of receiving a decent price for their fruit through direct sales to the consumer. This portal, already famous for the sale of citrus 'from field to table', wants to expand its business by selling all kinds of seasonal fruits, for which it has opened a section called "Seasonal."

"We want to get in touch with producers of different types of fruit to help them sell their produce at fair prices," explains Luis Serra, one of the founders of this project.

"Our clients have grown accustomed to buying citrus fruits from us because they receive them at home directly within 24 hours after they are harvested. The satisfaction of receiving a quality product has led to them regularly asking whether we had other types of fruit or vegetables, which they would be delighted to acquire," explains Luis Serra.

According to Serra, "this has frequently made us consider the possibility of selling other fruits, but it was difficult for us to take that step, since our specialty, traditionally, has always been citrus fruits." However, last year we decided to contact several producers who wished to be able to sell their products at a fair and more profitable price, enjoying also the knowledge that the end customer would receive the fruit as they should: ripened in the tree and freshly picked."

In this type of sale, it is essential to be able to make a profit from the products grown, but the romantic part is also very important: "knowing that the product to which you have devoted so much care is highly appreciated by the customer," points out Luis Serra.

Thanks to this new project, LaMejorNaranja.com serves as a link between producers who want to sell their products directly to the final consumer, and customers who are interested in buying other types of products directly from the producer. "We are taking advantage of 15 years of e-commerce experience to help other producers sell their products directly to the end consumer," he affirms.

They currently collaborate with about 12 producers, who deliver their products to many families directly from their fields or facilities, but they are still looking for many more partners to be able to meet all the demand.

"The stonefruit sector is not going through a good time, and there is news that producers are abandoning their crops. We offer them the possibility of selling the fruit directly to the final consumer and not depend on the prices set by the market, but on those that each producer considers fair. The process is not quick, but with a quality product, harvested at the right moment, and with patience, the results are guaranteed," assures Luis Serra.

"The producer wins by getting a fair sale price which does not depend on market fluctuations, and the customer wins because they receive a high quality product, in which more care has been invested, and shipped directly from the tree to their home."