Fruteq is an agricultural services company located in Quartell (Valencia), with more than 50 years of history, which also manages its own fields and those of others. With the intention of publicizing the citrus fruits of the area and highlighting almost unknown varieties such as Sanguinelli, they launched an online sales project a year ago that has managed to reach and build loyalty of a large public. The process has been affordable as the firm had already gone through a significant digitization phase.
- How did the idea of launching online sales come up?
It seemed a good tool to publicize our fruit, which usually goes to the wholesale market, and so our services. The good management we do of the crops has its maximum exponent in the fruit we produce and its high quality.
The intention of doing pedagogical work pushed us as well. From the beginning, and this is how it is set out in the e-store, we wanted to explain which varieties we sell, why this sale is made on certain dates or which qualities or characteristics each fruit has.
In the citrus sector, this information is not transmitted to consumers, who often do not know what they are consuming nor understand why the oranges they bought last week had more juice than the ones they have just bought. That is why we insist on providing light and knowledge on this matter to the extent of our ability.
And finally, arouse interest on these fruits. When I moved away from agricultural circles, people were always surprised when I commented that we produced Sanguinelli. They thought it was a variety long disappeared and they said it reminded them of their childhood because it was a fruit present at that stage of their lives. If they know that it is still marketed and accessible, they can start ordering it at their regular stores. If there is a certain demand, those stores will end up incorporating it into their offer.
- And how is the experience working?
The truth is everything has gone very well. We started a year ago and we first started with the Sanguinelli, which was well received. Then we decided to try Powell and, soon after, the health crisis broke out. Citrus demand increased very quickly and we had a ton of orders. The summer we worked in Valencia, sales dropped a bit. It may be that people do not eat as many oranges in the hottest months and associate it more with the cold. But now with the return of the Sanguinelli, people are showing interest again.
- A loyal audience then
Yes. We have a very loyal audience on social media as well as in the store. Usually who buys, come back.
In the case of Sanguinelli, they have been calling us for two months to ask when they were on sale again. Its optimal point of maturity is reached at the end of February and it will be then when we will begin shipments.
In addition, our agricultural services costumers have acted as true commercials. They know us, they know how our product is and the quality it has so they have recommended it in their personal circles.
- Has it been difficult to manage a store of this kind even with the shipments?
Honestly, no. The fruit is ours; we don’t have to go looking for it or buy it from anyone. We have practically only had to invest in the packaging. For billing we have slightly modified the program that we were already using.
And shipping is handled by the courier companies. So it’s been pretty straightforward.
It is also true that we started from a high technological base. In the company we already had all the digitized processes, it has not been difficult for us to develop within this scenario.
- Will the online sales business expand in the future?
At first, I do not think so. Our main activity continues to be production management.
They have proposed to us to sell other fruits. We are not close to possibilities but it is not our goal either.
At the moment we are content with making ourselves known, informing people about the citrus cultivation fruits and its qualities and promoting the sale of seasonal fruit.