On the surface, these avocados may look identical. Yet, their journey, water use, nutrient retention, and labour context tell very different stories.

Distance matters when volumes grow

Over 90% of the avocados consumed in Europe are imported—mostly from Peru, Chile, Colombia, Israel, Kenya, and South Africa. These supply chains involve long-distance maritime shipping, inland road transport, cold storage, and handling infrastructure.

A shipment from Málaga to Berlin emits around 0.21 kg CO₂ per kg, while avocados from Chile generate approximately 0.42 kg CO₂ per kg—twice the emissions.

Individually, these emissions seem small. But when scaled to current consumption levels, they matter. Europe is expected to consume up to 1.5 million tonnes of avocados annually. In 2024, Germany alone consumed 165,530 tonnes, followed by France (157,977 t), the UK (122,993 t), and Spain (96,617 t)​. CrowdFarming is already supplying part of this demand from neighbouring countries such as Spain, Italy and France, adding up to over 800 tonnes of avocado delivered within the same continent.

While sea freight can seem efficient when calculated per kg, it remains a big contributor to emissions when applied to large volumes of refrigerated fruit. The issue is not shipping per se, but the scale and regularity of long-distance supply chains for products that can be grown closer to home.

Nutrient density and flavour: shaped by time and handling

The time between harvest and consumption influences not only freshness, but nutrient content and flavour. Imported avocados often travel for several weeks and undergo artificial ripening in distribution centres. In contrast, avocados harvested to order—like CrowdFarming’s—leave the tree and reach European homes in 5.3 days on average in 2024. 

This difference matters. According to one study, Spanish avocados can contain up to 51.1% oleic acid, compared to 43.5% in imported Chilean avocados. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fat linked to cardiovascular health. Other research indicates that phenolic compounds—important for antioxidant capacity and flavour—may also degrade during extended storage and long shipping times. 

It is essential to take into account that these differences depend on variety, ripeness at harvest, soil conditions, and storage methods. But overall, shorter journeys and faster delivery reduce nutrient loss and improve flavour retention.

Nature and nurture, both matter

Some regions, particularly tropical zones, offer ideal natural conditions for growing avocados—stable rainfall, fertile soils, and minimal irrigation needs. Others depend on human-management to create the right conditions for avocados to grow. What determines the farming impact is not just having the right context, but the combination of ideal climate, farming method and regulation.

Labour conditions also vary widely—both within and outside the EU. Transparency, traceability and enforceable standards are what make a difference, not geography alone. What we know is European producers operate under concrete regulatory frameworks for pesticide use, labour rights, and water management, often more strict than what other regions demand. This, however, doesn’t mean all practices in the EU are exemplary, nor that all practices outside it are problematic.

Still, supply chains from some regions have raised red flags. In Morocco’s Souss valley, large-scale avocado farms have been linked to labour violations, including wages as low as $203/month, lack of protective equipment for pesticide application, and union suppression.

Water and climate: not all avocados are equally thirsty

Avocados are regularly criticised for their water use. But this depends heavily on local climate and management systems. In many tropical countries, trees grow with minimal or no irrigation. In drier zones like southern Spain or Morocco, water must be carefully managed.

At CrowdFarming, all tropical fruit producers use drip irrigation to minimise water loss. Many go further by using regenerated water (treated wastewater), and applying regenerative practices that improve soil structure, increasing water retention capacity.

Examples include farms such as Laderas de Granada and Loma del Gato, which have proven to have improved the water indicator (measured as part of the regenerative index that tracks quality of irrigation water, management of water on the farm, and the capacity of the soil to store rainwater, among other data) within their regeneration index by up to 30%. 

Still, they are not the only ones. A growing share of our organic avocado producers are transitioning to regenerative agriculture—improving the soil’s capacity to absorb water and reduce evaporation. 

It’s simply not that simple: A Final Note

With the limited information available in supermarkets, it’s hard to tell where an avocado was grown—or how. Most look the same on the shelf. But the conditions behind them vary: some are harvested early to survive long-distance transport; others are picked at the right moment and delivered in days. Some are irrigated with freshwater under conditions of stressed water resources. Others rely on rainfall or reuse treated water.

Some come from systems where wages are documented and working conditions audited. Others do not.

None of this is visible at first glance. But it becomes visible through transparency, traceability, and a closer connection to the people growing our food.

Avocados can be grown responsibly in many places. The key is not distance alone, but everything that comes with it.

Sources & Further Reading

• Comparative Analysis of Avocado Oils (PMC, 2022)
  Peer-reviewed study comparing the fatty acid profiles of avocados from different origins, including Spain and Chile. Used to support nutritional comparisons (e.g. oleic acid content).
  
• Moroccan Workers Organising Against Exploitation (War on Want, 2023)
  Field report highlighting labour violations—including low wages and union suppression—on large-scale avocado farms in Morocco’s Souss region.
  
• Water Concerns in Morocco’s Avocado Boom (Wala Press, 2024)
  Investigative piece exploring the environmental impact of avocado expansion in Morocco, with focus on water use and drought pressure.
  
• Avocados and Human Rights Risk (Maplecroft, 2023)
  Analytical report examining conflict, deforestation and labour risks across avocado-producing regions, with insights into global sourcing vulnerabilities.

The Regeneration Index is a system to benchmark and validate the results of regenerative practices, offering transparency and clear metrics to both farmers and consumers. 

What does the Regeneration Index benchmark, and what can you see on the CrowdFarming website?

The Regeneration Index measures more than fifty key indicators, both in the field and in the laboratory, to benchmark the impact of regenerative practices on each farm. In other words, to measure that the ecosystem of the farm is effectively regenerating.

The index, which you can find on the page of all regenerative farmers, ranges from 0 to 5, where 5 represents the best possible state of a natural ecosystem. What’s more, if the farmer is already regenerative (i.e. they have been in the programme for more than one year), you will also see an improvement index that compares their last measurement with the baseline or the previous year, and which reflects their progress.

The overall index consists of three specific scores for each key area: soil, water, and biodiversity. In addition, we monitor two other areas: socioeconomic conditions and community, to assess how these align with the regeneration of the ecosystem. Below is an explanation of what is benchmarked in each one:

Soil health

As reflected in our 1% for the Soil initiative, soil health is key to regenerative agriculture, and therefore a cornerstone of the index. Good soil health means that the plant is properly nourished, as it is being provided with the nutrients it needs. This is said to be the digestive system of plants.

Good soil health requires fewer (or even no) inputs or additional nutrients such as fertilisers. Healthy soil is key both globally and locally. Globally, its ability to absorb carbon helps mitigate climate change. At a local level, its ability to retain water and nutrients reduces reliance on external resources for irrigation and plant nutrition, which directly benefits crops. 

Water cycles

Water is key to life and, as it should be, is one of the three basic cornerstones of the index. It functions as the fuel that activates the system: it allows the soil, initially just a ‘container’ of materials, to become a living ecosystem. It’s water that sustains microbial, plant, and animal communities, nurturing their development and the beneficial interactions they generate between these beings. Without this resource, the natural processes that allow a soil to regain its health and foster crop health could not occur effectively.

This part of the index benchmarks not just the quality of irrigation water, but also the management of water on the farm, and the capacity of the soil to store rainwater, which is crucial in many of the areas where our farmers work.  

Biodiversity

The cornerstone of this area is poles apart from the philosophy that has guided conventional agriculture over the last few decades. If for years the mindset was focused on monoculture and the eradication of any competition from the main crop, we now value biodiversity as a truly beneficial factor for the crop and the ecosystem of the farm in general.

It’s not just an environmental issue, though. Biodiversity is a key factor for resilience, as each link fulfils its function, preventing one link from growing disproportionately to others. In other words, a diverse system is essential for combatting pests. What’s more, the diversity of plant species favours the presence of animals that benefit the ecosystem, including pollinating insects, which are fundamental for many crops, and fosters other communities that we often overlook, such as microorganisms. The greater the root diversity in a soil, the more beneficial bacteria will be associated with them, creating a more nutritious and healthy system for the crops themselves.

If you want to find out further information, you can download the detailed reports, where we break down each area and the scores obtained in different sub-parameters. This will give you an even more thorough view of the state of the ecosystem of each farm.

How do farmers achieve their Regeneration Index? 

The Regeneration Index process follows a systematic and structured approach that combines field and laboratory analysis. 

Field assessments

During farm visits, experts conduct observations and practical tests – many of them part of the visual soil analysis protocol. Some of these tests are:

• Measurement of soil penetrability, to assess its compaction. A very compacted soil does not filter water well, which leads to issues such as waterlogging, evaporation, and runoff, which prevent the soil from storing water, as a healthy soil would. 
• Worm count, a good indicator of underground functional biodiversity, and therefore, of a fertile soil.
• Aggregate stability tests, which indirectly analyse soil structure and the presence of microorganisms.
• Assessment of the percentage of plant cover and its composition, crucial to protecting the soil from erosion and improving water retention.
  
  

Laboratory analysis

What’s more, the experts take samples that are sent to specialised laboratories for a more detailed analysis.

• Soil samples to benchmark areas such as:
  
  

• Soil structure, which influences its ability to retain water and nutrients.
• Organic matter, essential for fertility and carbon sequestration.
• Essential nutrients, which ensure a proper balance in the soil.
  
  

• Water samples to assess the quality of the water used in irrigation. These are used to examine parameters such as pH, salinity, mineral levels (calcium, magnesium, sodium) and the presence of contaminants such as nitrates or heavy metals. All these factors affect soil health and crop development alike.
•  Sap samples (leaf): the levels of nutrients directly available in the leaves of the plants are measured. This gives us an insight into the nutritional status of the crop, allowing us to identify deficiencies or excesses of key nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and/or micronutrients. Ultimately, this helps the farmer adjust their soil fertilisation or enrichment techniques.
• Insect sample: collected to assess the biodiversity and abundance of insects on the farm, including pollinators, natural predators, and potentially harmful species. These analyses help measure the ecological balance and resilience of the ecosystem against pests, and benchmark the impact of regenerative practices on local fauna.
  
  

All these analyses are key to generating a Regeneration Index, which accurately reflects the state of the soil and guides farmers in their improvement process.

This process is carried out every year in three main stages:

1. Initial measurement (Baseline)

The process begins with a baseline, which benchmarks the current state of the farm. This initial measurement assesses the situation of the key cornerstones (soil, water and biodiversity); identifies areas for improvement; and lays the ground for future comparisons that validate the impact of regenerative practices. 

2. Progress in first year (Year 1)

One year later, the same measurements are repeated and the results are compared with the baseline. If significant improvements are observed in the key cornerstones, the farm can receive the Regenerative Farm label.>

3. Annual verification (Year X)

The process doesn’t end there. Each year, the Regeneration Index is repeated to ensure that the farm is still making steady progress and that regenerative practices are still generating tangible results. To keep the Regenerative Farm label, continuous improvements must be demonstrated. 

This is not just a benchmark, it’s a tool.

The Regeneration Index is key to regenerative agriculture because it provides transparency and clear data on the progress of farms. We cannot understand this model of agriculture without results to back it up. This builds trust both in the producer community and among consumers, while giving the credibility they deserve to farmers making the effort to embrace truly regenerative practices.

However, it should also be seen as a practical management tool that guides farmers in decision-making processes and in planning the rollout of initiatives. It provides clear data and metrics that can help farmers identify areas for improvement, adjust practices that have not had the expected impact, and focus on more effective strategies. We might think that an initiative has a substantial impact on an area and then see that it hasn’t, which will allow the farmer to rectify things and focus on other practices to improve their index and, consequently, improve the health and resilience of their farm.

The Regeneration Index — including all on-farm visits and evaluations, as well as laboratory analytics — is fully funded by CrowdFarming, thanks to our 1% for the Soil initiative, through which we earmark 1% of sales of regenerative farms or of farms in the process of regeneration to projects that help scale regenerative agriculture. 

During the summer months in Europe, a variety of delicious and sensitive fruits come into season. Among them are stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, and cherries, as well as other fruits like melons or even grapes. These fruits are a refreshing treat to eat during hot summer days when ripe, but require careful handling to ensure they remain fresh and tasty.

Here’s more information on the organic summer fruit varieties available from CrowdFarming!

How do I know my summer fruits are ready to eat?

Each type of fruit has its own indicators of ripeness, we guide you on how to use your senses to detect if they’re ready to taste!

Climacteric (they keep ripening at home): Touch and smell

• Peaches and Nectarines: These fruits should be slightly soft to the touch and emit a sweet aroma. The skin colour can range from golden yellow to a deep red, but softness and fragrance are more reliable indicators.
• Apricots: Ripe apricots will be soft and fragrant, with a bright orange colour. They should yield slightly to gentle pressure.
• Plums: Depending on the variety, ripe plums can be red, purple, or even yellow. They should be soft to the touch and have a sweet smell.
  
  

Non-Climacteric (You will receive these fruits ready to eat!): Sight and touch

• Grapes: Ripe grapes will be firm, plump, and have a rich colour, depending on the variety.
• Cherries: Look for cherries that are firm and plump, with a deep, rich colour.
  
  

How to preserve and store summer fruits at home?

Given the sensitive nature of summer fruits, it’s essential to store them properly to maintain their quality:

• Refrigerate to maintain longer: As soon as you receive your summer fruits, place them in the refrigerator to slow down the ripening process and extend their freshness. Only take out what you plan to consume the following day to allow it to reach optimal taste and texture.
• Room Temperature to eat soon: If you plan to eat the fruit soon (today or tomorrow), keeping it at room temperature can help it develop its full flavour. However, be cautious with the duration to avoid over-ripening. 
  
  

How to make the most of ripe summer fruits at home?

Summer fruits are delicious as they come, at any time of the day. There are countless ways to enjoy your ripe summer fruits:

1. Smoothies or milkshakes: Blend fruits like peaches, nectarines, and melons with yogurt or milk for a refreshing drink. 
2. Salads: Add grapes, cherries, or plums to your salads for a sweet twist. 
3. Desserts: Make sorbets, ice creams, or fruit salads. 
4. Jams and preserves: Turn your ripe fruits into delicious jams or preserves to enjoy year-round. 
5. Grilled fruits: Grill peaches or plums for a caramelized treat.
   
   

What happens if my summer fruit is mouldy or damaged?

If your fruit arrives overripe or in poor condition, contact our customer service team or report the incident through your private area in your CrowdFarming user account. By clicking on “report a problem” and submitting a complaint, we will be able to notify the farmer and work with them to find a solution.

Enjoy your summer fruits, and remember: refrigerate them as soon as possible and take out only what you plan to eat the next day. Happy summer eating!

If you want more tips on preserving and ripening other fruits, click here.

Reviving Health from the Ground Up: Why does soil matter? 

Did you know that the health of our soil directly impacts the nutritional value of our food? Our latest report, “Regeneration and Nutrition: Cultivating Our Medicine,” dives deep into this critical connection and explores how regenerative-organic agriculture can be the key to a healthier future for both our planet and ourselves.

The Crisis Beneath Our Feet

For decades, agrochemical practices have led to the degradation of soil quality, leaving us with less nutritious food. The alarming statistics speak for themselves: up to 40% of soils worldwide are impoverished, leading to a significant drop in essential nutrients in our food by as much as 38% over the last 50 years. This degradation fuels a cycle of dependency on fertilizers and supplements, while chronic diseases linked to poor nutrition are on the rise.

 Regenerative-organic agriculture offers a promising way out of this “nutrition paradox” (where we produce more food but with less nutritional value) by focusing on restoring soil health through regenerative techniques like cover cropping, reduced tillage, and integrated livestock management. Studies highlighted in our report show that these practices not only improve soil organic matter by up to 31% but also have the potential to enhance the nutrient content of crops. For instance, regenerative-organic practices can increase vitamin C in oranges by 30% and antioxidants in grapes by 23%.

The Bigger Picture

Our research underscores the need for more comprehensive studies and incentive schemes to encourage regenerative-organic practices. The potential benefits are clear: healthier soils lead to healthier plants, which in turn lead to healthier people. By prioritizing soil health, we can break the cycle of dependency and move towards a future where our food truly becomes our medicine.

Dive into the details and discover all of our insightful research on the link between regeneration and nutrition. Download the full report now and join us in cultivating a healthier world from the ground up.

While the CAP has existed since 1962 to ensure the survival of the agricultural industry, we hoped that from this period it would also evolve to ensure its sustainability. However, in recent weeks, information has emerged about the European Commission’s intentions to reduce the established environmental requirements by almost half, which would mean a serious blow for this CAP and, in our opinion, a major setback in the European Union’s commitments to a sustainable, organic, and regenerative agri-food chain.

What changes did the CAP 2023-2027 bring under its belt?

The latest update of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for 2023-2027 retains its basic structure, but brings with it important innovations in social and environmental aspects. These changes also allow EU countries to customise their national plans, thereby offering them greater adaptability to their specific challenges.

New developments in the social sphere:

Measures will be implemented to improve the labour rights and safety conditions of agricultural workers from 2025, in the quest for an effective application of EU regulations. Priority is given to supporting small and medium-sized farms, ensuring that the benefits reach active farmers. Gender equality and the promotion of youth participation in agriculture have been set as new goals. What’s more, a financial reserve of at least 450 million euros has been created to respond to future crises.

Environmental innovations:

A “Green Architecture” has been introduced to incorporate the concept of eco-schemes, which are subsidies based on the adoption of Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) and Agro-Environment-Climate Measures (AECM). The agricultural conditions and environmental measures both depend on National Strategic Plans, but they generally include very similar principles for all member states. The GAEC and the AECM both conform to National Strategic Plans, but they generally include very similar principles for all member states. 

Eco-schemes: The new CAP currency

Eco-schemes are one of the most interesting developments of the new CAP. These are annual economic incentives offered to farmers who, voluntarily, decide to implement environmentally beneficial practices on their land. Although farmers are not required to participate in these eco-schemes, all European Union countries must offer at least one of these programmes in their CAP strategies.

Take the case of Spain, where there are nine eco-schemes tailored to the characteristics of country’s agriculture, such as support for traditional grazing and diversity in Mediterranean farms, or incentives for crop rotation and plough-free cultivation on arid lands. In the Netherlands, they have taken an even more direct course, creating an eco-scheme that allows farmers to choose between twenty-two different practices. As we can see, all this means that countries have more freedom to tailor these programmes to their specific environmental and climate needs. 

However, the shift to these new systems is not going as smoothly as expected. Across Europe, fewer farmers than expected are benefiting from eco-schemes. This doesn’t necessarily mean that producers aren’t implementing pro-sustainability practices, and may instead be due to the complexity of their understanding and application. If the incentives aren’t attractive enough or if the process to access them is too complex, it’s likely that many farmers will opt out, as is already happening in several places in Europe.

A greener future at stake

In short, this CAP has brought with it important changes, but they aren’t being reflected in the real support to farmers for the creation of more sustainable and organic agriculture in Europe. As if that weren’t enough, the flexibility proposed by the European Commission based on the recent protests will likely aggravate the situation: it has been suggested to phase out the mandatory nature of certain conditions (GAEC), such as the maintenance of permanent pastures, soil cover, and the protection of wetlands and peatlands.  

For example, farmers are currently required to allocate at least 4% of arable land to biodiversity to maintain full CAP subsidies, but this measure would be at risk of being phased out. What’s more, the plan is to lay up on the rules on minimum soil coverage and crop rotation, as well as to allow exceptions that would do away with practices crucial for the conservation of natural resources, such as minimum tillage, direct sowing, crop rotation, and the maintenance of areas dedicated to biodiversity. 

These measures could exempt 65% of CAP beneficiaries from GAEC-related controls, which would be a setback compared to the previous period of agricultural policy, as this also failed to halt the decline in biodiversity. If this continues, this CAP could go from being, on paper, the “greenest” version to date to representing a step backwards with a possible negative impact on both biodiversity and soil health, and therefore on the long-term productivity and profitability of farms.

“The European Commission is about to dismantle conditionality requirements that are based on unequivocal scientific evidence, and which it has explicitly acknowledged as being essential tools to address current climate, environmental, and biodiversity issues”.  

Official statement from the European Coalitions and Organisations against the reduction of CAP standards

Meanwhile, organic farming doesn’t seem to fit into this quagmire that the CAP is becoming. Remember that the European Union, within the above-mentioned strategies, has set itself the ambitious goal that 25% of agricultural land should be farmed organically by 2030. Considering that we’re now at around 10% and that current subsidy policies aren’t supporting European farmers to become organic, we doubt that this target would be achieved, were it not for the support of initiatives such as CrowdFarming or the support of consumers. In fact, key agricultural countries such as Austria, France, Germany and Spain have decided to tighten their belts by cutting payments for organic farming compared to the previous CAP period. This decision is quite paradoxical, especially when considering the commitment to “not back down”, ensuring that the new CAP should be more beneficial for the environment and the climate than its predecessor.

Adding to this adjustment in budgets is the difficulty that farmers already certified as organic face in fitting their practices into eco-schemes, creating a sort of bureaucratic maze that complicates, rather than encourages, organic farming.  For example, the “reduce pesticides” scheme excludes organic farmers simply because they have always done so. Cases like this not only hinder the progress of European organic farming, but also raise the possibility of less convinced organic farmers returning to conventional practices to receive such subsidies. Even in certain contexts, such as in France, farmers who meet less strict standards than those of the organic label often match or even exceed the payments received by them, which sends out a mixed message.

In short, it’s essential to focus the CAP towards the sustainability of the agri-food industry, and not just towards its survival. If we don’t migrate towards a more sustainable agri-food system, the cost of keeping the industry afloat will become increasingly expensive, with soils — and farmers — becoming increasingly poor. This means that we shouldn’t let up on or lower environmental standards, but instead encourage farmers’ progress towards organic and regenerative agriculture. The European Union’s ambition for more farmers to transition towards organic farming is clear, and the CAP, which accounts for a third of EU budgets, should act as a positive catalyst, never as an obstacle.

By reducing food waste, we can: 

1. Combat climate change by preventing unnecessary waste generation.
2. Fight hunger and malnutrition by guaranteeing the distribution of nutritious food to those most in need. 
3. Help farmers, businesses, and households save money.  
   
   

In fact, according to Project Drawdown, out of all the possible solutions in all industries, reducing food waste is the solution with the greatest impact when it comes to cutting CO2 emissions. With this goal in mind, we launched our new brand: All is Good.

When preparing an order, CrowdFarming doesn’t discard products for aesthetic reasons. Our CrowdFarmers, or consumers, already know that nature doesn’t produce homogenous food. That’s why we ask our producers whether they would eat the product in question. If they would, we can send it to our CrowdFarmers. 

However, on many occasions, the products must make a journey that takes a few days, so we can’t send out fruit that is ready to consume if it would arrive rotten at the consumer’s house.

Therefore, we use these products to make delicious products and give them a new life, packaging them under the brand name of All Is Good. In other words, we believe that we can find a second life for everything!

We started with discarded products at our CrowdLog-Museros logistics hub in Valencia. Together with local suppliers, we co-created the recipes and transformed the products, and then put them on sale on CrowdFarming. Thanks to these sales, we will pay the producer for the product and fund the transformation of the product and its sale.

At the end of 2022, we had already conducted some tests with mango chutney, and in 2023, we added two new products to our catalogue: avocado hummus and pomegranate juice. In fact, in 2023 we saved more than 50 tons of food waste as follows:

• 19.747 kg of avocados turned into avocado hummus
• 26.165 kg of pomegranates turned into pomegranate juice
• 6.602 kg of mangos turned into mango chutney
  
  

As we explored new recipes, we also asked some of our CrowdFarmers to help us choose the name of the new brand we were creating to end food waste together. Out of 4,000 participants, 60% chose the name All is Good! 

Watch out for upcoming All is Good products! 

• Dried mango chips
• Orange juice 
• Orange marmalade
• Mandarin marmalade
  
  

The role of food waste in the global economy 

The food we waste globally accounts for 8% of total greenhouse emissions, but the environmental cost isn’t a one-off cost, as its economic challenge comes along with ethical and climate issues associated with food waste. The global economic cost of food waste is estimated at USD 2.6 trillion, which is nearly equal to the GDP of France (FAO, 2014). 

In the European Union alone, more than 58 million tons of food waste are generated annually, or about 131 kilograms per inhabitant (around twice their body weight!). With an associated market value of around EUR 132 billion, food waste is one of the main challenges for the European Union in the coming years.  Through the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), the EU is committed to halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 2030 (SDG 12.3), in addition to reducing food losses along supply chains.

What are other ways in which we avoid food waste?

Aside from All Is Good, at CrowdFarming we tackle food waste from different perspectives. 

Adoptions and fair prices

Let’s imagine for a moment all the effort and dedication that our farmers put into their farms, hoping that at the end of the season their products will reach our tables. However, the reality can be stark. Sometimes, the market works to our disadvantage, with low prices or fluctuating demand that harvesting and transporting paradoxically do not compensate in financial terms. We’re faced with a scenario where, incredibly, letting the fruit rot on the tree seems the least negative option – this phenomenon is called dumping. In this context, reducing agricultural waste not only benefits the environment, but also guarantees the economic viability of farmers. Research, such as that carried out by WRAP in the United Kingdom, shows that reducing waste on farms can increase farmers’ income by up to 20%.

Our adoption model is a solution to this cycle of waste, as it balances supply and demand, and provides financial stability to farmers. In other words, farmers already know at the beginning of the season how much they’ll have to produce and how much they’ll be paid for it. It’s not just about selling, but creating a system where every fruit counts, where every effort finds its reward.

There’s no such thing as ugly fruit

We educate farmers and our CrowdFarmers about the true nature of the products they grow. We show them why certain blemishes on fruit are normal, or why green clementines are actually ready for consumption. 

It’s encouraging to see, according to our annual survey of farmers, that 25% have adopted more flexible criteria regarding the aesthetic characteristics of their products. This has played a huge role in reducing food waste. What’s more, 60% of our citrus and tropical fruit farmers have managed to reduce waste since they joined our project.

Donations to food banks

Our commitment goes beyond the sale. In collaboration with logistics partners, we donate perishable products that we cannot deliver, thereby supporting people facing food poverty in Europe.

Recipes and tips for keeping fruit fresh

Through our channels, we share recommendations for keeping fruit fresh and using it up. We answer essential questions such as the meaning of the colour green on different fruits or vegetables, how to determine the optimal point of ripeness for consumption, and hacks to prolong shelf life or speed up ripening if necessary. To answer those kinds of questions and help reduce food waste in your home, you can check out this article on how to preserve and ripen climacteric fruits and vegetables at home.  

What’s more, on our blog you can also see recipes to take advantage of products that might seem overripe. Here are some suggestions:

• Mango curry and mango lassi (or mango smoothie)
• Lemon cake with physalis jam
• Avocado shake from Málaga

For the ingredients, you’ll need:

• 4 Large oranges
• ¼ cup Granulated sugar 
• 2 tbsp Cornstarch 
• 1 tbsp Grated orange rind 
• 1 tbsp Orange Marmalade 
• 2 Egg yolks 
• 3 Egg whites
  
  

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Trim a thin slice from bottom of each orange to stabilize. Cut approximately 2 and half cm slice from top of each orange.
3. The top slices of oranges can be grated for the orange rind.
4. Use a spoon to remove flesh, reserving juice as you work. Measure 125 mililiters. The flesh and any remaining juice can be used as desired.
5. Stir together sugar, cornstarch, and orange rind in small saucepan Whisk in reserved juice and marmalade. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. When it thickens, remove from heat.
6. After that, whisk egg yolks in small bowl and stir in some of the hot mixture before you add the rest of it back into the sauce pan.
7. Then, beat egg whites in a medium bowl and then fold whites into the yolk mixture. Place the oranges upright on baking sheet. Spoon mixture into orange shells, filling each about two-thirds full.
8. Bake in preheated 190°C oven until puffed and golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Place soufflés on the serving dishes, sprinkle icing sugar over, if desired, and serve.
   
   

Thank you Panasonic for providing the Combi Microwave for this recipe!

Here are some general tips on influencing the ripening of climacteric fruit at home. If you are looking for more detailed information on how to preserve, ripen and consume a specific product, you can take a look at the following guides:

• Guide for the preservation, ripening and consumption of organic avocados
• Guide to the preservation, ripening and consumption of organic bananas
• Guide to the conservation, ripening and consumption of organic tomatoes
• Guide to the preservation, ripening and consumption of organic mangoes
  
  

Receiving, ripening and storing a CrowdFarming order 

We understand that the quantities received from farmers are large and it is unusual for a household to be able to consume them all at once. This is why, we at CrowdFarming suggest you separate the climacteric fruit into three portions. 

• The first portion will be the fruit that you want to consume soon. Put it in a warm place, without humidity, together with other climacteric fruits (apples, bananas, kiwis) or even wrapped in paper or cardboard. This way, the concentration of ethylene – the hormone that allows climacteric fruits to continue ripening once they are off the tree – is increased so that they ripen faster.
  
  
• Place the second portion in an airy place. For example, in a fruit bowl placed outdoors without direct sunlight. This way they will ripen more slowly.
  
  
• The third portion can be stored in the fridge. The main way to delay ripening is to use cold storage. In fact, low temperatures have been used to keep apples crisp since the 19th century, when apples were exported from America to Europe in wooden barrels in the cold holds of old transport ships. 
  
  

If your fruit has arrived overripe or in poor condition, please contact our customer service team or report the issue to us via your customer account of CrowdFarming.  By clicking on “report a problem” and submitting a complaint we will be able to notify the grower and work with them to find a solution.

How can I accelerate the ripening of climacteric fruits at home?

These techniques are ideal for climacteric fruits such as avocados, papayas, bananas, persimmons, melons, mangoes, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums or tomatoes.

Store together with already ripe fruit: 

Storing unripe fruit together with other climacteric fruits will help speed up the process, enhancing the effect if some are already ripe since they will release even more ethylene.

Leave them in the box: 

Here, ethylene is a key player again. By putting them in a cardboard box, this gas is concentrated, accelerating their ripening. This is especially useful for avocados, bananas, pears, peaches and tomatoes. Bananas and apples, which give off even more ethylene, can help other fruits to ripen even more. Just don’t forget to check that all pieces are in good condition before leaving them in the box to ripen.

Newspaper method: 

Very similar to the previous method, if you wrap fruits individually in sheets of newspaper (or paper bags) and store them in a dark place, the newspaper can help retain ethylene, while allowing the fruit to breathe. This is especially useful for fruits such as tomatoes and pears.

Leave them in a warmer place: 

Placing unripe fruit in warmer places, but without allowing it to spoil, can speed up the ripening of the fruit. A cupboard or a drawer are examples of such places.

Bury them in rice: 

Raw rice absorbs ethylene efficiently. Soaking fruits such as mangoes or avocados in rice will make them ripen faster. It works best with firm-skinned fruits, such as apples or pears, while soft-skinned fruits, such as tomatoes, avocados or bananas, benefit more from the paper bag technique.

Regardless of which method you choose, it is crucial to check fruits regularly to make sure they are not over-ripening or spoiling.

However, non-climacteric fruits such as grapes, cherries, raspberries and oranges cannot ripen at home; it is best to harvest them at their optimum ripeness, as our farmers do – if you pick them under-ripe, you’re done for! Remember that green does not always mean under-ripe, it may be a specific variety or how the weather conditions have affected the skin of the fruit. 

Tree ripening, the only option for non-climacteric fruit

The tree ripening process of fruits has a great impact on the quality of your harvest. Ripening is influenced by several factors, the climate being one of the most important. Climate affects not only the size and ripeness of the fruit but also its sweetness, acidity and juiciness.

Let’s take oranges as an example of a non-climacteric fruit. How does the climate affect the final result?

• In summer, high daytime temperatures make the juice sweeter. 
• The more stable temperature of autumn, above 13 degrees, favours the generation of sugar and carbohydrates in the fruit. 
• Winter’s low temperatures, below 13 degrees during the day, cause the oranges to change colour and finish ripening. 
  
  

The secret ingredients of climacteric fruits to keep ripening off the tree 

The answer lies in a substance that is produced by these fruits, even after they have been removed from the tree: ethylene. Ethylene is actually a hormone that is responsible for a multitude of physiological processes in plants, including the ripening of the fruit. During this process, the starch in the fruit is transformed into sugar, the tannins (characteristic compounds of the “green” fruit that give it a bitter taste) are reduced, and the pH increases, reducing the acidity. In other words, the fruit becomes sweeter and less bitter and acidic. 

More ethylene = more ripening

Climacteric fruit, when stored together, ripens faster.

In fact, it is because of this compound, ethylene, that the fruit ripens faster when they are together. As long as one is ripening and producing ethylene, it will affect all the climacteric fruits in its vicinity! Climacteric fruits react to ethylene concentrations by producing more ethylene, so the process is accelerated. Non-climacteric fruits do not interact in the same way with ethylene, so they are not as noticeably affected by this hormone.

Besides ethylene, other factors help ripening. Temperature plays a crucial role in ripening. As temperature increases, ripening speeds up. 

Higher temperature = faster ripening

For those wishing to accelerate the ripening process of climacteric fruits, it is advisable to leave the fruit at room temperature. 

However, if the aim is to preserve the fruit for a longer period of time, it is advisable to store it in a cool place. It is important to consider that fruits of tropical origin, such as mangoes, are more sensitive to cold. Exposing them to very low temperatures may compromise their texture and taste. Therefore, it is advisable to keep these fruits out of the fridge in winter and in the less cold areas of the fridge in summer, in order to preserve their freshness without damaging them. 

The first thing to do when you receive a box of fruit sent by a farmer is to open it to check how the fruit has arrived. Afterwards, you can decide how to store them depending on when you want to consume them.

How do I know if myhe mango is ready to eat?

As a climacteric fruit, it continues to ripen after being harvested, which means that your mangoes might arrive at your house hard – that means it was just hanging on the tree a few days ago! The ripe mango is soft to the touch, especially around the stalk area (the “rabillo”) where it emits a sweet aroma. Depending on the variety, when the mango is ripe, it will show a bright colour ranging from yellow to red or even purple. It is important to note that, although colour can be an indication, aroma and softness are more reliable signs of ripeness.

How to ripen green mangoes faster at home? 

• Keep them in the box with the rest of the mangoes or store them in a paper bag at room temperature. 
• You can also put them with other climacteric fruits such as bananas or apples to accelerate their ripening process thanks to the ethylene they release.

How to preserve and store a mango at home?

If the mango is undamaged and you want to slow down the ripening process, refrigeration is a good option. However, if you plan to consume it soon, it is better to keep it at room temperature to enjoy its flavour to the fullest. As it is a tropical fruit, prolonged cold can affect its structure and flavour.

How to make the most of a ripe mango at home?

You have many options to keep enjoying your mangoes! 

• a) Smoothies or milkshakes
• b) Sauces for meat or fish
• c) Mango puree
• d) Mango sorbets or mango ice cream
• e) Mango jam

Here are some recipes to make the most of your organic mangoes!

What happens if my mango is mouldy or damaged?

If your fruit has arrived overripe or in poor condition, contact our customer service team or report the incident through your private area in your CrowdFarming user account. By clicking on “report a problem” and submitting a complaint, we will be able to notify the farmer and work with him to find a solution.

If you want to know how to preserve and ripen other fruits, click here.

Here’s a gazpacho recipe to make the most of your organic tomatoes!

How do I know if the tomato is ready to eat?

As a climacteric fruit, it continues to ripen after being harvested, which means that your tomatoes might arrive home a little green, which means that they were only hanging on the plant a few days ago! For most varieties, when the tomato reaches a uniform red colour and feels soft to the touch, it indicates that it is ripe and ready to eat.

How to ripen green tomatoes faster at home?

• Keep them in the box with the rest of the tomatoes or store them in a paper bag at room temperature. 
• You can also put them with other climacteric fruits such as bananas or apples to accelerate their ripening process thanks to the ethylene they give off.
  
  

How to preserve and store tomatoes at home?

If you want to prolong the ripening period, you can keep them in the fridge. If, on the other hand, you plan to use them immediately, keeping them at room temperature is ideal. If the tomato is already ripe, refrigerating it can help to avoid over-ripening, but it is advisable to consume it quickly to avoid loss of flavour.

How can you make the most of a ripe tomato at home?

You have many options to keep enjoying your tomatoes! 

• a) Gazpacho
• a) Tomato sauce
• c) Tomato puree
• d) Roasted tomatoes
• e) Tomato juice

What happens if my tomato is mouldy or damaged?

If your fruit has arrived overripe or in poor condition, please contact our customer service team or report the incident to us via your private area in your CrowdFarming user account. By clicking on “report a problem” and submitting a complaint, we will be able to notify the farmer and work with them to find a solution.

If you want to know how to preserve and ripen other fruits, click here.