Buy Valencia oranges online: from the tree to your table in 24 hours
Buying oranges online directly from the grower is not the same as buying oranges. You notice the difference the moment you press your thumb into the peel and the aroma hits you square in the face. CitrusRicus Valencia oranges are harvested to order — your box doesn't exist until you place your order. No cold storage. No wax. No warehouse. From the tree to the delivery van on the same day.
Why supermarket oranges taste of nothing
The orange you find at the supermarket is harvested green, spends weeks in cold storage at 3–5 °C, is treated with imazalil and E-904 wax to shine under the fluorescent lights, and arrives in your fruit bowl looking like an orange and tasting like a tennis ball. That's not an exaggeration — it's the standard supply chain of the citrus industry.
Our Valencian oranges take the opposite route. They stay on the tree until their natural sugar reaches its optimal point — between 11 and 14 degrees Brix depending on the variety — and are only harvested when a real order is waiting. That means the orange you receive has been off the tree for less than 24 hours.
Table oranges and juice oranges: the difference matters
Table oranges (Navelina, Navel, Lane Late) have firm flesh, segments that separate cleanly, and a balance of sweetness and acidity that makes them perfect for eating by hand. Juice oranges (Valencia Late, Salustiana) have more juice, thinner skin, and a touch more acidity — exactly what gives freshly squeezed juice its intense flavour.
At CitrusRicus we select the variety according to the season. We don't force nature: when the Navelina ends, the Navel takes over. When the Navel finishes, the Lane Late arrives. The calendar is set by the field, not the marketing department.
Buying direct from the grower: what it really means
When you buy oranges directly from the grower, you eliminate between 3 and 5 middlemen. That has two consequences: the fruit arrives fresher and the grower receives a fair price for their work. It's not charity — it's logic. A kilo of oranges sells for €1.50–2.00 at the supermarket. The grower gets €0.15–0.25/kg. With direct sales, the margin stays where the value is created.
Our fresh Valencia oranges travel by refrigerated express to anywhere in Spain within 24 hours and to the rest of Europe in 3–6 working days. No middlemen. No wax. No cold storage. With the guarantee that if something isn't right, we replace it or refund your money. As simple as that.
Five generations growing citrus in Valencia
The family behind CitrusRicus has been growing oranges in the Valencian huerta for five generations. Before words like "traceability" or "zero-kilometre" existed, this is exactly what was done here: pick ripe fruit and take it straight to the person who was going to eat it. The only thing that's changed is that now you can order it from your sofa.
