Oranges · Valencia · Testing the 2026–27 season
Doña Ana
Lorca, Murcia, Spain
- Organic since 2022
- Converting to regenerative
- 273 hectares
- Oranges
Paco Sánchez grew up on his family’s citrus farm, right across from Doña Ana, and took charge of the farm in 2017. This farm was one of the first to sell directly to customers through CrowdFarming.
This campaign was created to understand more about Doña Ana’s Valencia oranges:
- For everyone to see the levels of the most important minerals and vitamins.
- For Paco, the farmer, to see the overall health of the orchard and the indicators that show what he can improve in the way he farms.
- For everyone to see whether the water or soil is contaminated with toxic heavy metals.
- For the farmer and CrowdFarming to assess the shelf life of these oranges and how suitable they are for processing.
Three samples, four reports
The produce is sampled three times through the harvest season, and each sample gets its own report. A fourth, final report brings the season together with the conclusion, so backers receive four reports in total.
- 1Sample 1Start of the harvestReport 1
- 2Sample 2Middle of the harvestReport 2
- 3Sample 3End of the harvestReport 3
- Final reportThe conclusion across all three samplesReport 4
What gets tested
Panels unlock in order as the total grows. The Core panel is the minimum for the campaign to run. Every funded panel is run on all three samples.
- A
Core
FundedUnlocks at €2,800
- Vitamin CAscorbic acid in the juice and flesh.
- Brix (sugars)Dissolved solids, mostly sugars, in the juice.
- AcidityTitratable acidity, mostly citric acid.
- Dry matterWhat is left once the water is removed.
- Potassium (K)A mineral the tree takes up from the soil.
- Calcium (Ca)A mineral the tree takes up from the soil.
- Magnesium (Mg)A mineral the tree takes up from the soil.
- Iron (Fe)A trace mineral, present in small amounts.
- Zinc (Zn)A trace mineral, present in small amounts.
- B
Extended
Next€1,240 to go · unlocks at €4,600
- PolyphenolsA family of plant compounds, measured as a total.
- Antioxidant capacityA lab assay of the extract (ORAC or FRAP).
- CarotenoidsThe pigments behind orange and yellow colour.
- NitrateNitrate stored in the fruit, often linked to fertiliser use.
- C
Full
Stretch goal€3,840 to go · unlocks at €7,200
- Pesticide residue screenA multi-residue screen of several hundred compounds.
- Heavy metalsCadmium, lead and other metals from soil or water.
- Shelf-lifeHow firmness, weight and vitamin C change over 21 days.
Practices
- Certified organicsince 2022
Under the EU organic farming label.
- Conversion to regenerative
Moving from organic towards regenerative practices across the farm.
- Harvest on demand
Fruit is picked when it is ordered and at its ripest, not stored in a warehouse.
- No post-harvest treatment
No wax or preservatives, so the peel can be eaten. Packed in plastic-free boxes.
The farm
- Farmer
- Paco Sánchez
- Size
- 273 ha
- Altitude
- 260 m
- Variety tested
- Valencia
Rewards for backers
From €10
All four reports
One lab report per sample and a final report with the conclusion for the season, with the reviewer’s notes. Sent to you first, whatever they show.
Back this campaignFrom €35
Presale box
A 5 kg box of Doña Ana oranges from a sampled harvest, plus all four reports.
82 / 120 left
Back this campaignFrom €60
Your name on the report
Listed as a backer in the report, plus the presale box.
Back this campaignFrom €120
Farm visit
A visit to Doña Ana on one of the three sampling days, plus everything above.
7 / 12 left
Back this campaign
Where the money goes
Shares of the Core panel cost for all three samples. Larger panels add lab costs only.
- Lab analysis 64%
Accredited lab, three farm samples, each tested next to a retail sample.
- Independent sampling 16%
Three sampler visits, retail purchases, cold courier, chain of custody.
- Scientific review 12%
A named reviewer checks the method and signs off the report.
- Platform and publishing 8%
A flat fee, the same whatever the results show.
If the goal isn’t reached
- If the Core panel isn’t funded by the deadline, every backer is refunded in full and the partner’s match is released.
- If Core is funded but a stretch goal isn’t, the Core panel runs and nothing is charged for the panels that didn’t unlock.
- Rewards are only sent once a campaign is funded.
Funded by
- Doña Ana
- €800
- 71 backers
- €1,280
- CrowdFarming (match)
- €1,280
Updated as pledges come in. Our fee is the same whatever the results show.
Sampling and publishing rules
At three points in the season, an independent sampler picks produce at random from outgoing shipments. The farm doesn’t choose it.
The same kind of product is bought at retail the same week and tested side by side.
An ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab runs the analysis, and a named scientific reviewer checks the method.
Backers receive all four reports first. When the results arrive, the farm decides whether they go public under its name; if not, they join the database anonymised.