Pitaies Catalanes: let’s grow the future of pitaya
Can you imagine enjoying a pitaya grown here, harvested at its optimal point of ripeness and produced using a system that combines agriculture, technology and innovation?
We are Pitaies Catalanes, and we have been working for years to prove that pitaya can also have a future in our land.
Now we want to take another step forward. Our goal is to develop a technologically advanced and efficient pitaya cultivation project in Valls, designed to make better use of resources, improve production and continue researching a crop we are passionate about. With this campaign, we want to raise €15,000 to drive this new stage of Pitaies Catalanes forward.
But we don’t just want you to contribute money. We want you to be part of the project. 🌱🐉
A project that is already growing
Pitaies Catalanes is not starting from scratch. We already have an outdoor plantation where we have been working with different pitaya varieties for years, studying their behaviour, flowering, pollination, genetics, grafting and production. We already obtain fruit and plant material from this plantation, and we sell cuttings and other products related to pitaya cultivation.
Everything we have learned over these years is precisely what has allowed us to get this far. Now we want to take this experience into a new stage: creating a protected and technologically advanced production system that allows us to have greater control over growing conditions.
What do we want to do?
Our next big step is the progressive construction of greenhouses specifically designed for pitaya cultivation in Valls (Tarragona). We don’t want to build a conventional greenhouse. We want to create a space where agriculture and technology work together. The project incorporates elements such as precision irrigation, controlled nutrition, lighting, sensors, automation, climate control and solar energy, among other technologies.
In addition, we are developing our own multi-level cultivation system with the aim of making better use of the available growing space. It all starts from something very simple: understanding more and more about what the plant needs and using resources more efficiently.
Seven years learning from an incredible plant
Behind the project are many years of testing. For approximately seven years, we have been studying pitaya, growing and comparing varieties and observing how they respond to our conditions.
Not all pitayas are the same. There are enormous differences in colour, flavour, size, texture, productivity, flowering and pollination requirements. This diversity is also one of the foundations of Pitaies Catalanes. We want consumers to discover that behind the word pitaya lies an entire world of varieties.
Grown here and harvested when the time is right
One of the main differences of producing locally lies in something as important as the moment of harvest. Our goal is for the fruit to remain on the plant until it reaches an appropriate level of ripeness and to reduce the time between harvesting and reaching the consumer. We want to offer a local, fresh and distinctive pitaya, both through direct sales and to shops and professionals committed to high-quality fruit. And to do it from Valls. From Valls to the world.
Get exclusive rewards
We want those who make this campaign possible to receive a real part of Pitaies Catalanes. That is why we have prepared rewards directly related to what we already do and produce.
Pitayas from our harvest: One of the best ways to discover the project is to taste it. Some rewards will include fruit grown by Pitaies Catalanes, with a selection of pitayas according to the varieties available at the time of harvest.
🌱 Pitaya cuttings: You can also start your own adventure growing pitaya. We will offer cuttings from our own plant material, accompanied by basic information to help you get started.
👕 Pitaies Catalanes merchandise: Some rewards will include products from our brand for those who want to take Pitaies Catalanes a little further beyond the farm.
🌱 Sponsor a pitaya: This is one of the rewards we are most excited about. You will be able to sponsor one of the plants on our plantation, linking your name to the project and symbolically following its development. We want those who support us to be able to say:
“I also have a small part in this story.”
🤝 Collaborators and sponsors: We have also created options for companies, professionals and individuals who want to make a larger contribution and associate their name or brand with Pitaies Catalanes. Depending on the option chosen, they may have a presence on our website, social media and on the farm itself, becoming visible collaborators in the growth of the project.
Who are we?
We are Aida and Jose, the two founders of Pitaies Catalanes. And we are quite different, which is probably one of the reasons why we make such a good team.
Jose has spent years focusing on understanding the plant: varieties, genetics, grafting, flowering, pollination and crop behaviour. Aida, a 25-year-old young farmer and entrepreneur, has particularly developed the business, commercial and technological side of the project, with a commitment to introducing automation, sensors and precision agriculture.
One of us is getting to know the plant better and better. The other is trying to teach technology how to listen to it. And from the combination of these two sides came the idea of taking Pitaies Catalanes much further.
We are not a large agricultural company. We are two people who started out studying a plant we were passionate about and who, after years of work, have decided to try to turn all that knowledge into an agricultural project with a future.
What will we use your contributions for?
The goal of this campaign is €15,000. The construction and full development of the project require a much larger investment and will be financed through different sources: our own resources, external financing, public grants and collaboration agreements with companies.
Therefore, Verkami will not finance the entire project on its own. The €15,000 will help us cover different costs needed to continue moving forward in this first phase and reduce the financing required to get it up and running. Our intention is for every euro raised to help us move one step closer to making the project a reality.
Estimated timeline
The Verkami campaign is one of the first steps in this new phase. Once it has been successfully completed, we will continue with the acquisition of materials, preparation of the farm and progressive development of the facilities. At the same time, Pitaies Catalanes will continue its current activities, including outdoor production, the sale of plant material, online sales and consultancy.
Rewards that depend on fruit will be subject to the natural production calendar and the availability of varieties, while the remaining rewards will be prepared and delivered according to the schedule indicated individually for each option.
We prefer to set realistic delivery dates and meet them rather than promise deadlines that depend on agricultural factors beyond our control. This is not just about building a greenhouse. For us, this campaign represents something more.
We want to demonstrate that even a small agricultural farm can research, innovate, incorporate technology and explore new ways of producing. We want to keep learning. We want to grow pitaya here. We want to share what we discover with other farmers. And we want to do it from the place where all of this is being born: Valls.
If you decide to support us, choose a reward, sponsor a plant, share the campaign or simply tell someone else about our project, you will be helping us take the next step.
🐉 Thank you for being part of Pitaies Catalanes. From Valls to the world.
Web: pitaiescatalanes.com
Instagram: @pitaiescatalanes
TikTok: @pitaiescatalanes
Facebook: @pitaiescatalanes
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