Finca CABET was created at the Agricultural Cooperative of Bétera (COABE) in Valencia. A thirteen-strong group of farmers and the Agricultural Cooperative contributed their land, dedication and enthusiasm to start this organic farming project that will grow and incorporate new farmers. There are currently twenty-six plots of land totalling 28.67 hectares, most within the village of Bétera, plus one in Vilamarxant, three in Marines, three in El Puig and one in Llíria. We grow different varieties of pomegranates, persimmons, mandarins and oranges. We've reclaimed traditional cultivation methods from more than one hundred years ago, such as pruning and hand-picking the fruit, and we use these methods, alongside machinery and other techniques, to protect and improve the environment.
We routinely implement biological control by introducing natural enemies into the environment for pest control. We also introduce and encourage hedges, shrubs, foliage, plant cover and safe weeds, along with islands of vegetation, green corridors, field borders with wildflowers, etc, to establish a reservoir of predatory or parasitic species of pests. This means that by increasing the diversity of natural enemies, we can decrease the density of pest populations.
The plots of land are located at the foot of the Sierra Calderona, considered the 'green lung' of Valencia. These mountains attract the gentle and humid Levante winds from the Mediterranean, and water from the River Turia channelled upstream from the Benagéber Reservoir and reaching our fields by gravity, so there's no need for water consumption from wells or electricity. We also use the 'regulated deficit irrigation' technique, which saves water with respect to conventional cultivation.
All three of us on the team are qualified engineers. We run our farmers' plantations according to organic farming criteria and ensure that all operators working on the land comply with all legal, social and environmental requirements.
We believe in not wasting food, but we also want to offer the best fruit possible, so any pieces that fail to meet our quality standards will be used to produce juice. We follow strict protocols on internal and external ripeness, analytics, etc, which mean that when our fruit arrives at your home, you'll appreciate not just the dedication and passion of our farmers, but also the flavours, aromas and colours of our land.