Hello everyone! My name's Mauro Rey and I belong to the fifth generation of a family dedicated to the fruit and vegetable world. Our family has spent years working in the different facets of agriculture, such as agronomic management and production, harvesting and marketing. My grandfather, as the closest figure within the family generations in the industry, loved to produce different varieties of citrus fruits and avocados. As time has gone by, we've focused on other types of crops with totally different needs to the others. Now we grow Hayward kiwis (known all over the world as green kiwis) and the new varieties of red kiwis and yellow kiwis. After my experience living in various countries within and outside Europe, and once I’d finished my double degree in Business Administration and Management + Marketing and Sales Management at CEU San Pablo University and Boston University, I decided to put my all my knowledge into practice at a fruit and vegetable company, and what better choice than a family business to provide new ideas, management styles and expansion procedures. In 2011, we had the chance to buy the Quinta dos Reis farm, where we still work in the exciting world of kiwi fruit production, as we were more than familiar with the post-harvest process. Our beginnings were quite an adventure, to say the least. On paper everything looked perfect, but we hadn't taken into account inclement weather, topographic barriers when preparing the land, the installation of structures, and other needs such as extending the lake. That said, it's boring if everything is easy and we've learned a lot from all this. On the farm, I manage the fruit production process, overseeing all the stages the fruit goes through, the jobs to be done, and cost control. Once the fruit has been harvested, I take care of its storage and conservation in its optimal state before it's sent out to you. My father is the head of the farm and in charge of supervising all the farm operations and giving support in decision-making processes. Now that we're with CrowdFarming, we're so excited to deliver a piece of us directly to your home in the form of a kiwi!

Quinta dos Reis, which translates as the Monarchs' Country Estate, is a twelve-hectare farm located in São Lourenço do Bairro, between Aveiro (famous for its canals lined with colourful boats once used to collect seaweed) and Coimbra (the medieval capital of Portugal). This farm belonged to a retired Portuguese soldier, who planted the Hayward kiwi crop to enjoy his passion for agriculture. He planted the crops more than twenty years ago, in the form of an amphitheatre around the natural reservoir at the heart of the farm. We've been running the farm since 2011 with the same passion as always, with a rejuvenated crop and some changes to improve its efficiency. We divided the farm into sectors, growing approximately four hectares of Hayward kiwis in the highest zone, and the rest split between two new varieties of organic yellow kiwi and red kiwis, which we hope to offer soon on CrowdFarming. What's more, we took advantage of the perimeter of the farm to grow about one thousand avocado trees, which perfectly complement the kiwi crop and also shelter it from the wind. We're fully convinced of the benefits of organic farming for the planet. With a view to doing our bit for the world and for sustainable food production, we opted for chemical-free organic cultivation. We use the water from our natural lake, which fills up every year with rainwater collected by means of irrigation canals and drainage pipes and water from a spring higher up on the farm. We also have several of our own wells on the farm. When our crops need water, we irrigate with motors powered by photovoltaic energy from our solar panels. Our irrigation plant, machinery warehouse and laboratory are located in an old barn that has been refurbished. Our lake is home to geese, ducks and carp, which help us keep the water free of dirt that damages the micro-sprinklers used to water our trees. In short, we've worked for more than eight years on modernising its facilities and boosting its efficiency without losing any of its essence and original layout. The Hayward kiwi doesn't need to be covered with mesh at the moment, although we're studying the option of installing it due to possible weather events such as summer storms, which can sometimes result in major crop losses. Our team is made up of Catia, the agricultural technician who is in charge of technical management, fertilisation plans with natural compounds, irrigation times, pest control and monitoring of the plants' nutritional values. Then we have Tiago, the farm manager, who implements the guidelines set by Catia and leads the rest of the team in tasks such as thinning, pruning, harvesting or supplying the materials needed to work on the farm. The farm also has a house where the wardens Morgan and Kenia live, who are in charge of daily functions on the land. Our farm wouldn't run properly without our team, so we look after them well and provide better working conditions than those required by the collective agreement.