Hi, my name's Friedrich Lehmann, although in Spain they know me as Federico, the 'crazy German'. I arrived in Spain in 1985 while on a trip with a good friend, who introduced me to the wonders of Huelva: the wonderful sun that shines in southern Europe; the spectacular pine forests by the sea; the endless white beaches; the extroverted and ever joyful people; the wine and the surprising food of Spain; and the music that delights my senses every day of my life. In short, it was love at first sight, which has since turned into the perfect love story. I've always worked with organic fruit and vegetables. I followed in the footsteps of my father, who spent his whole life in the industry in Germany, until I took over the family business in 1988 and focused exclusively on organic fruit and vegetables. Shortly after arriving in Spain and soaking up its culture, I decided to buy the Jelanisol-Montebello farm. When I first saw the plot, it was a fifty-hectare plantation in ruins. Restoring it was a huge risk, as it entailed a huge investment. What's more, the decision to follow organic farming regulations involved even more work, and the locals thought it was 'madness'. That's why I'm known as the 'crazy German'! However, my decision to implement a conscious and responsible form of agriculture has always been my life philosophy. Shortly afterwards, we embarked upon the adventure of biodynamic agriculture and permaculture, because I'm convinced that this is the way to go. The idea is to produce natural products of the h ighest quality, according to sustainable and organic farming practices, while respecting the environment in which we work. It wasn't easy, but little by little we put the pieces together, through the concept of mixed agriculture, creating biotopes with natural hedges, growing aromatic flowers, introducing ponds, and so on. As a result, we created an interconnected living space that serves as a habitat for many species in the environment. In 2016, the Jelanisol-Montebello project became a reality: we managed to create paradise! It was then that we set out on a new project, this time covering more than eighty hectares, the Finca Terra Rice, which is also in the province of Huelva. There we grow oranges, lemons, tangerines, pomegranates and almonds, with a total of seventy-two hectares of grassland left uncultivated. There are currently three project managers in our team. The main goal of the team is to create the right soil so that our plants (our children) have optimal nutrition. In our soil we have microorganisms, which feed the plants with necessary nutrients and help create humus, which in turn soaks up water like a sponge. The foremen and the sales manager work together to produce fruit and vegetables according to the pace of our plants, while always meeting the needs of our customers, who appreciate their meticulous work in favour of the ecosystem. I coordinate them all, but I the best bit is enjoying the spectacular nature of our beautiful farms. I feel really lucky and grateful to Andalusia and its people for this amazing experience that they've given me in the most wonderful place in the world!

Our farm was already called Jelanisol-Montebello when we bought it more than twenty-five years ago. Afterwards, we bought another farm in the province of Huelva, known as Finca Terra Rica. Between the two farms, there’s enough space to grow lots of fruits, such as persimmons, avocados, lychees, kumquats, oranges, grapefruit, mangos, pomegranates, almonds, figs, tangerines, prickly pears, limes, quince, etc. We're based in the small town of Gibraleón, which has a long agricultural and livestock tradition. Although we're close to the city of Huelva, the area is truly rural and we're surrounded by other farms, rivers and uncultivated land. Gibraleón is famous for its musts and citrus fruits, as well as for its livestock farms. So much so that it plays host to one of the oldest livestock fairs in Spain. The start of my time at Jelanisol-Montebello is like a love story. I arrived in Huelva in 1985, along with a friend, and this experience led to a feeling of love at first sight. After many trips back and forth, I ended up buying the farm in order to launch an organic farming project. Back then, the locals and other farmers thought my project was a bit strange. Few of them thought it'd be a success and, with the beginnings of biodynamic agriculture, I ended up being nicknamed 'the crazy German'. A few years later, we started working on permaculture. This helped us learn about the role of microorganisms in ecosystems, so we focused on biodiversity and mutualism. Our farm is a natural environment made up of our crops, as well as a whole host of shrubs and trees. We have hedges around the perimeter of the plots, as well as vegetable islands, lakes, hotels for pollinating insects, hives, and living soil, nourished by the organic matter produced by plants and animals, together with the activity of thousands of organisms that break it down. This wealth attracts many birds, mammals and reptiles, which feed on the natural resources, making Jelanisol-Montebello their home and a true paradise for us. Working for the ecosystem involves considering the natural resources available and then conserving them and, if possible, promoting them. On this note, we carefully study the water needs of our crops and provide only the necessary water. For this, we use drip irrigation on the surface and take the water from the Andévalo irrigation group. What's more, we've encouraged the development of humus, which conserves the water in the area where the roots are concentrated, making it available for a longer time for the plant. When it comes to water conservation, we have a system of keylines, which we designed to take advantage of the contour of the land. This ensures that the water penetrates the ground and evaporates more slowly. This is a simple way of making the most of a resource as valuable as water. As I already mentioned, our agricultural model is based on biodynamic practices and permaculture. But our aim is to achieve a sustainable system across the board. Therefore, all the energy we need on the farm comes from solar panels. What's more, we implement a circular economy in which every element of our farm has a value that should be considered. There's no concept of waste here, as we use any fruit that fails to meet our quality expectations to manufacture by-products. Even the by-products of our plants are used to create compost to feed our soil. Biodynamic agriculture calls for extraordinary efforts from farmers, so I've surrounded myself with a great team, meaning that I can put into practice all the experiences I've had over the years. This also benefits my workers and their families, who understand that our respect for the land has a positive impact on them. We currently have eight permanent employees, but there can be more than thirty of us at certain times of the harvest period. Some of them have been with us for more than twelve years, and we believe they're still with us because of how much we channel into their well-being. For example, their salary is 10% higher than the one stipulated in the bargaining agreement. There are specialised profiles in the team for each function, from farmhands and technical advisors to tractor drivers and admin staff.