My name's Margarita Barranco, but everyone knows me as Marga. I entered the world of farming about twenty years ago, purely out of love. I come from a small village in Málaga called Valle de Abdalajis. That's where I met David, my husband, back in 1998. When we were dating, I was working in the clothing industry, but I started to help out David's family on the farm. It was hard work and very family-oriented, and all hands were welcome. What's more, it was a great way - and almost the only way - to spend time with my boyfriend, as we'd be out on the farm nearly every day. I was combining my job at the textile cooperative and on the family farm for five years. At that time, we barely had any citrus trees and the main source of income was from vegetables. David and I got married in 2004 and I gave up my job in the clothing industry the following year so that I could spend 100% of my time on the family business. When I started, I had no idea about farming as my previous job was worlds apart, so that was a big challenge for me. Thanks to David and José Luis, my brother-in-law, I soon warmed to my job and learned to love the industry. At the beginning, I did anything that was needed, especially collecting and packing peppers, onions, leeks, tomatoes, aubergines, and so on. However, there was a clear need for someone to manage the quality audits, so in 2007 I became the head of administration. I've had the same job ever since and I make sure that all administrative processes are managed correctly. We now have several citrus farms (oranges, lemons and grapefruits) between the provinces of Seville and Málaga, all specialising in premium organic farming. Although my main job is in the office, I love to get outside and stroll among the orange trees to take my mind off. I'm a very sociable person, and I love having a good relationship with the workers. David and José Luis are in charge of managing the agricultural and logistical sides of the farm. We're a traditional Andalusian family with our heart and soul devoted to our passion. Although we work really hard, as our season is quite long, we always like to joke around and have a bit of fun. We like to convey this sense of fun and approachability to our employees, who are vital for everything to run like clockwork.

Cortijo La Palmosa is located in an exceptional orange-growing area in Lora del Río (Seville). The finca is protected from northerly winds by the Sierra Morena mountains, while the Guadalquivir River runs to the south. We grow six varieties of oranges in order to extend our season from autumn to late spring. The cortijo farmhouse is very old, but we don't know exactly when it was built. We rented it for two years and then bought it in 2016. It's the typical Andalusian cortijo with whitewashed walls, an imposing design, and a sweeping driveway lined by palm trees. We think that the name of the finca (and the cortijo) comes from the ancient tradition of palm tree cultivation in the area. When we bought the finca, there were some orange trees in certain parts, while in other areas there were cereals and cotton. We regularly plant new orange trees to specialise in this crop. The finca is flat, covers 125 ha and is crossed by the Arroyo de Guadalbacar, which flows into the Guadalquivir River. There are some rainwater supply basins for irrigation and some century-old holm oaks in the middle of the orange trees. The neighbouring fincas grow oranges and cereals. Each tree needs about 7,500 litres of water per year, which we supply with efficient drip irrigation systems. We irrigate the orange trees with water from the Bembézar Reservoir, located in the Sierra de Hornachuelos Nature Park. Our finca has been certified organic since 2015 and all new plantations have been organic from the beginning. Both my brother David and I are closely linked to the farming industry as we've worked in it since we were young, helping out our parents at Finca La Alcobilla, from where we send grapefruits to CrowdFarmers. Grass is cut with machines and cleared in order to control its growth. Maintaining the vegetation cover favours the presence of insects and the biodiversity of natural enemies that control pests. Orange trees are home to a fair amount of fauna, such as insects and birds. We're currently studying plans to install solar panels for irrigation. At the finca there's a permanent manager and eighteen seasonal workers who control and collect the oranges, always under our supervision. We prepare the boxes at our logistics hub in Málaga, where we check that all the fruit is in perfect condition. All our workers earn a decent salary in keeping with the Seville agricultural collective agreement. The oranges that we don't send are manually selected on the finca and at the logistics hub. Any oranges with defects are sold to factories to make juices, instead of being sent out to CrowdFarmers. Pruning remains and weeds are shredded at the finca and then used to fertilise the soil.