We spoke with Marivick Navarro, a resident of Simat de la Valldigna - Valencia, an orange warehouse worker who specializes in mandarins. We are going to talk about the varieties of the Spanish land that we export to places like Dubai.
What varieties of mandarin do we grow in the field?
The Spanish land cultivates the mandarin «Nadarcoot», «Ortanique», «Clemenvilla», «Clementina», «Clemenules», «Tango» and other varieties. At least in our warehouse we work with this type of mandarin.
The mandarins «Clemenules» is from the month of September. The «Clemenvilla» is a December mandarin. The «Ortonique», «Nadarcott», «Tango» are from the months of March to May.
Tangerines are according to the grafts on the trees. They have different flavors. The "Nadarcott" is the most expensive mandarin, it sells like gold. There are fewer trees. Little work is done and it is sent where requested and paid. It's a totally different taste.
The "Nadarcoot" variety is the most expensive where you order and pay for it, we ship it. Each graft has different flavors.
How is the day to day of the warehouse?
The orange is only a few days in the cameras because the merchandise moves very fast. A treatment is applied to it so that it matures on the trip. A wax that gives shine, maturing time and is specific for distances and for supermarkets. A mandarin that travels to Dubai and takes 15 to 20 days is not the same as a mandarin that travels to the Canary Islands, which takes less days.
I know that you live your work with passion. You really enjoy them. That is something that surprises me because many people are not happy in their work today. What's your secret?
I am always very active. There are customers, supermarkets, who want the orange with more demand and that attention to detail makes us work with more commitment on the product. The activity is rewarding. We are always happy ... for example we do things to laugh ... "Let's be careful with those oranges that go to the Canary Islands and this summer we are going to spend the summer there" and we have fun working.
My mind doesn't stop. That keeps me active.
Are there more women than men working in the warehouse?
Women work in the machines, about a hundred women compared to seven or eight men who continuously load and unload the orange. Foreign men and some women work in the field.
Do you know how to differentiate one mandarin from another?
If I see them, the mandarins, yes. The texture of the skin, the color, the thickness of the skin. They are a specialist in mandarins. Not in the orange, because we only work the Valencian.
Navelina Orange
How long does your job last?
The mandarin season lasts six to seven months. Most women are unemployed. In my case, I am unemployed for two to three months. Some of us stay to clean and work the Valencia orange in the warehouse, it is less quantity.
Other warehouses work the orange all year round. It is not our case.
Our work lasts 6 to 7 months a year. Then to unemployment.
What mandarin do you recommend us?
The «Clemenvilla» is very sweet and affordable in price. It is not an expensive Ortanique mandarin we ship directly to Dubai. Nadarcott goes where they ask for and pay for it. They are the most expensive mandarins because this variety is based on the type of graft in the trees.
