There might be plenty of green all around but operating a small farm in the black and not the red is a formidable task.
Challenges abound.The unpredictability of Mother Nature, the recent decrease in water descending into their valley from the Andes Mountains, and the red tape surrounding production and exportation of fruit are annual uncertainties. Chilefarms owners Susaan Straus and Ricardo Ceriani made one small step in the right direction last month.
Big News...
My friends Susaan Straus and Ricardo Ceriani have been establishing an orange grove on their 50 acre farm in Nogales, Chile for fifteen years. Getting a grip on agronomy and the onerous and byzantine pathway to succeed in exporting from a small farm in Chile to the shores of America has presented a steep and often frustrating learning curve.
I've been watching the process since my first annual visit in 2006.
From here in Nogales, Chile...
to Costco stores in USA!
Top photos by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.
Bravo!
Posted by: Sarah Cross Mills | October 07, 2012 at 03:12 PM
Amazing! Well done Susaan and Ricardo!!! Love that the boxes were traced to Costco.
I know this has not been an easy row to hoe, as they say. Congratulations.
Posted by: Christopher Huggins | October 07, 2012 at 05:32 PM
Dear Paul:
Love the varied coverage. And wow, it is great about Chile Farms Oranges!!
Posted by: Carolyn Liesy | October 08, 2012 at 10:35 PM
Yes, it's taken persistence and a certain frontier spirit to grow the business. I hope this year begins a long string of export successes.
Posted by: Paul A. Tamburello, Jr aka pt at large | October 09, 2012 at 02:40 PM
Nice outcome for your friends in Chile. May want to give a shout out to the Bush administration which signed a free trade agreement with Chile in 2003. As of today, Obama hasn't signed one free trade agreement. Romney stated he will look favorably to Latin America on fostering free trade between them and the US.
Posted by: Jeff | October 11, 2012 at 09:10 AM