My name's Jorge Antonio Puerto and my story is no different from that of any entrepreneur today who at a young age has to choose a path of hard work, passion and creativity, instead of a comfortable job as a wage earner. At the age of twenty-two, I decided to leave my job as a sheet metal fastener in the aeronautics industry and take over the reins of my family's livestock farm. It was a huge risk as my father retired soon afterwards and I was all on my own with the major challenge of making livestock profitable. Only then was it possible to take on enough responsibility to achieve the challenge. Back at the time, I gave myself two years to make my project viable. I didn't need much to live, so I spent all the time researching the industry, learning from successful farmers, and working very hard. At the start, I only used to sell milk. I realised that the business didn't have enough infrastructure in the region, so the next step was to set up a collection centre for livestock farmers in the area and form commercial relationships with large-scale buyers. In 2002, I was controlling the collection and distribution of milk in the region, and I realised that it was time for the next leap: creating my own dairy. We used to make cheeses at home for ourselves and for selling to a few local shops, so we were aware of both the tradition and the innovation required to produce cheeses with a large-scale vision. Today, we sell our cheeses throughout the country, and even export them to the European Union. The legacy of my ancestors is part of the production process, which also has the technology required by the industry to guarantee the highest quality. I'm now learning the virtue of being able to delegate. Our employees know how important it is to work with passion and professionalism. With my example, I've formed a team of great professionals who perform their roles with dedication and love for an excellent product. I spend every day keeping on top of all the business, but I love to spend as much time as possible with my family and friends. The day begins at 6.00 am with the ritual of coffee and friends. I like to know all the important things, but I never forget that basic tasks are the keys to success: collecting the milk, serving our customers, distributing the cheeses, spending time with the livestock, and so on. I like to share the strategy side of things more and more these days, as the vision of young people is a value that I like to harness and nurture. In this sense, CrowdFarming is a great opportunity for us to further explore a movement that is revolutionising the agricultural world. We need the close support of everyone committed to responsible, fair and environmentally friendly livestock farming, and CrowdFarming is great partner for that.

Our farm is called Olivar Pastor. Coincidentally, the surname of the former owners was Pastor and the farm has been known as this for more than a century. Back in 1932, my grandfather rented it for his livestock. He and my father produced milk that they'd sell to locals and to cheese producers. El Gazul is the name of our dairy. Its name alludes to the Moorish king who ruled these lands before the Christian reconquest, and who gave his name to our castle and village. The farm is right by the Alcornocales Nature Park, in the region known as Las Jandas. It's an area with a mix of Mediterranean cork oak forests, pastureland, cereal fields and old olive groves. Extensive livestock farming is predominant here, with cattle farms, Iberian pig breeding, and herds of goats and cows for meat, etc. We feel privileged to live in such a unique and stunning place, surrounded by lush forests and between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The mountains here served as a shelter for a group of guerrillas who fought in the first half of the twentieth century. Known as the Maquis, they fought against the political regime of the time, and played a role in one of my family's most dramatic stories. When my father was around twenty-five years old, some Maquis followed him through the mountains to kidnap him and demand a ransom from my family. This was how they funded their war effort, and if the families didn't meet their demands, only a bad ending could be expected for the hostage. My grandfather hastily looked for help from friends and family, and after three days managed to pay the ransom. This financially destroyed the family, but it was the only way for my father to save his life. The whole situation had a huge effect on him, but it didn't stop him working with livestock until he retired. Another major event in our farm's history, also related to the Spanish Civil War, was when our village was bombed. My grandfather welcomed in many neighbours who were fleeing for their lives, and who were able to survive thanks to our goats and pigs. Everything related to wars is terrible… and those of us who in some way have experienced it at first hand understand the desperation of families seeking refuge. Years later, when I realised that livestock would be my life, I bought the Olivar Pastor farm. Our animals live in freedom here, although they have a barn where they can take shelter on rainy days. They drink water from the Fraja river that flows across the farm. They have plenty of grass, as well as olives and grain that we grow for them. We've been farming organically since 2008, when Paco Casero (a guiding light in organic farming and livestock in Andalusia) convinced me that this is the best option to champion our work and safeguard the resources of the land. It has been, and will still be, a surprisingly long road for which I'm an ambassador in my region. We also have solar panels for our facilities. And the manure we create is used to fertilize both our own and our farmer friends' fields. All of this implies we've closed the loop! We have three employees on the farm and fifteen in the dairy. Women account for 50% of the team. Turnover is very low, as we like to focus on trust and staff engagement. They all perform specific roles, although it's important to know all the processes to be multifunctional.