My name's Inés Martínez and I'm a technician at CABET. I've been very fortunate to be part of the Cabet team since its creation, together with Paco Alufre, who has taught me a lot and is extremely dedicated. I've had the opportunity to lead this project this year, which I'm undertaking with heaps of enthusiasm and respect. Since I was little, I've always been in touch with the countryside. I fondly remember those years when almost the whole family would get together to help our grandparents. I can still remember that smell of carobs when they were stored in sacks and kept in the storeroom. Or those afternoons outside with my grandparents peeling almonds so that they could be sold later. The bond with agriculture that my family instilled in me grew and ultimately became an interest. That's why my studies were focused on agriculture. I currently work with the technical department to guide the farmers at Cabet in their tasks: cultivation, pest control, fertilisers, and so on. This is whenever it's required and always in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. The current fruit marketing system doesn't value traditional varieties, despite their wonderful taste and aroma, and the way they're grown. This has caused many families to abandon their fruit farms, while others struggle to survive and to not give up on what they inherited from their parents. With this project, I'm sure that I'll continue to grow and learn, because not only are you receiving a box of fruit at home, but also a box packed with hard work, a change in mindset, sustainability, tradition and the future.

CABET, our domain, is originally a cooperative. It was actually born in the Agricultural Cooperative of Bétera, to which it owes its name. It is made up of plots of land owned by small farmers who, by joining forces, promote innovative projects such as CrowdFarming. It is here that a group of 10 farmers have brought their plots, their work and their enthusiasm to create this project, which we hope will continue to grow and incorporate new producers. At present, CABET includes 16 plots of land that make up 10.5 ha in total. Fourteen of them belong to the municipality of Bétera. The other two are located in Lliria and Villamarxant, two neighbouring municipalities. Our objective is to spread this project beyond our village, to develop it in other localities and promote these agricultural transformations to develop it in other localities promote these agricultural transformations. Most of the plots are located in Bétera, a Valencian village that has historically been characterized by its dedication to agriculture, which is the livelihood of most families. It is in these small family plantations, where we have recovered traditional farming and where many tasks are carried out in a traditional way, as they were more than 100 years ago. From the pruning to the manual harvest of the fruit, helping out each other with machinery for heavier tasks or in cases that its use can improve the environment. The geographical location of our territory gives our fruit unique characteristics. They are located at the foot of the Sierra Calderona, considered the green lung of Valencia, which lets pass the soft and humid winds of the Mediterranean east and the water from the river Turia, taken upstream of the Benagéber reservoir and reaching our fields by gravity without the use of a well or consumption of electricity. We also use the controlled deficit irrigation technique in the cultivation, which helps us save a lot of water compared to conventional irrigation techniques. We are currently three engineers in the team that manage our farmers' plantations according to the criteria of organic farming and we make sure that all the workers who carry out work on these plots comply with all the legal, social and environmental requirements. We fight against food waste, but at the same time want to offer the best fruits, so the produce which does not meet our quality standards will be destined for the industry to be processed into juice. At the same time, we will follow rigorous protocols (internal and external fruit maturity, analysis, etc.), which will guarantee that when our fruit arrives at your home you will be able to appreciate, not only the dedication and passion of our farmers, but also the taste, aroma and color that our land provides.