Mandarins Become Internet Hit

Mandarin growers in Croatia are struggling to keep up with demand after a company specialising in connecting food growers with buyers launched a new door-to-door service on the internet…

In just two days since the launch of the Facebook page ‘mandarins direct from the growers to your door for just 3 kuna a kilo’, more than 65,000 potential customers have shown interest. Orders have been flying in left, right and centre say the Medjimurje company Finoteka who are behind the idea.

“When people find out that they can get them straight from the grower to their home they are definitely interested. The second thing is the price is affordable for everyone, and lastly people want to help out the growers,” said Hrvoje Kolman from finoteka.com, adding that some growers have been struggling to keep up with demand.

“I get requests from growers to put them on the site and then get a call half an hour later asking if they can be removed and put back up tomorrow because they simply are not prepared, they don’t have enough boxes or can’t keep up with delivery. I also got a call from one grower who asked to be removed and put back on the site in the morning so he could get some sleep,” said Kolman.

Mandarines are produced in the south of the country, in the Neretva Valley in the Dubrovacko-Neretvanska County, between the cities of Metkovic and Opuzen with around 80,000 tonnes of first class mandarins produced every season.