Where we found the farm that would be the base of our pistachio project and family life. We started to work little by little, accompanied by our family and friends.
Before starting the plantation, we visited the San Joaquin Valley in California, the birthplace of pistachio cultivars. There we learned a lot about how we wanted and should start our planting project. We took guidelines and advice from great growers and experts, such as Dr. Louise Ferguson, which we have later applied (and continue to apply) in our pistachio orchard, achieving great results. Thanks for everything!
Along with the help of our family and friends from Parada de Rubiales and many other places. We invited everyone who wanted to do their bit on the farm, making our agricultural project a social and educational project as well.
The little trees were starting to get bigger and bigger, but the waiting continued. At home, we worked all year long (and with a lot of patience and love) to take care of each tree as it deserved. We knew that there were still 3 or 4 years to go before we could do our first harvest, but we were looking forward to it.
The COVID-19 pandemic arrived, a pandemic that had big consequences, both good and bad. It seemed that the older of the two sisters, Pilar, began to like this farming thing, and began her studies in Agricultural Engineering at the University of Salamanca, with the aim of dedicating herself to the farm and learning more about the cultivation of pistachios from a more technical point of view. In the meantime, the trees went from being simple sticks to small trunks with more and more branches and leaves. In fact, this year we even saw some pistachios!
Our little trees continued to grow and in turn, our curiosity to learn more about them and tell the world about this crop. This year Marta, the mommy of the house, started her PhD at the University of Salamanca, based on the study of pistachio allelopathy effects and the benefits of their nutrients for our diet. She published her first article of which we leave you the link below: https://www.mdpi.com/1564582
This year also saw the birth of the AgriPilar project on social media (if you want to follow her, @agripilar in all social networks). With her publications, Pilar and the rest of the family wanted to inform the world about pistachio cultivation and about life in the countryside and in the agricultural and livestock sector in general.
Finally, after much waiting, patience and work, our FIRST HARVEST arrived! (Which by the way, we also did with the help of our family and friends). Tree by tree, vibrating here and there, peeling and drying. This is how we spent our month of October, with a lot of excitement and satisfaction to see how our work of so many years began to bear fruit (never better said!!) As the harvest progressed, the Agris (@agripilar’s followers on social media) showed us great support through social networks and by placing their pistachio orders. Thank you all for supporting our work!
One year later, the saplings have had a big growth spurt this winter, and this year's production promised a lot. In addition, this harvest has brought with it some very cool experiences! We had the opportunity to count on a spectacular piece of machinery for this year's harvest: the Antonio Carraro TRG 8900 R tractor to which the Arcusin Autopick umbrella harvester was attached. During the days of the harvest, we have been able to make all kinds of tests with this machinery, being fascinated by the efficiency of work of both the machines and the technical team 🙂 One more year, Finca Telereta's pistachios bring us all together to continue working and growing!
The year 2024 was a challenging one for pistachio farming due to weather conditions, so we ultimately were unable to harvest that season. In the countryside, we know that every growing season is different and that nature always has the final say.
Even so, at Finca Telereta we continue to work and look for ways to improve the farm and make it increasingly sustainable.
Early that same year, we decided to introduce Dorper sheep to the farm to help us manage the vegetation cover among the pistachio trees. This allowed us to manage the grass naturally, reduce the use of machinery, and, at the same time, integrate livestock into the farm—something that has always been part of traditional agriculture. Our pioneers at that time were Petunia, Chula, and Careta.
That same year, one of our most special projects was born: the direct sale of beef from La Vaca Madruga.
It all began after several years of a relationship between AgriPilar and the famous “chico,” her boyfriend Jesús. Jesús comes from a family that has always been dedicated to extensive cattle farming in a small village in Salamanca, Tardáguila, where the cows are raised in the open, grazing in the fields and following a traditional model of livestock farming.
Upon seeing firsthand this way of working and the care behind each animal, we decided to do with the meat what we were already doing with pistachios: eliminate middlemen and commit to direct sales to consumers.
Our goal is for the people who buy our products to appreciate the work behind the farm, the respect for the animals, and the quality of a product raised naturally.
That’s how La Vaca Madruga began—a family project that combines farming and livestock raising with the same philosophy: quality products, locally sourced, and delivered directly from the producer to your table.
After a difficult 2024, in 2025 nature restored our hope with a bountiful pistachio harvest. The trees responded very well, and we were able to reap the rewards of all the work done in previous years.
In addition, we organized a professional harvesting demonstration, together with Antonio Carraro and Arcusin, to showcase—once again—the dynamic duo we rely on for the harvest: the Antonio Carraro Tony TRG 8900 R with continuous transmission and the Arcusin Autopick GTi shaker. It was a very interesting day to demonstrate how we work in the field with professional technology and to share experiences with other farmers.
If you want to see how the demonstration went and how we carried out the harvest, you can watch it on our YouTube channel:
👉 Watch the demo video on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ripC94k4Yec
In addition, we continue to expand the range of products we offer directly from our farm. That same year, we also began selling our La Muñeca chickpeas directly to consumers—a product
deeply rooted in our region and renowned for its high quality, because, as the saying goes, “El buen garbanzo y el buen Ladrón, de Fuentesaúco son!”
With this product, we want to continue championing the same values as with our pistachios and meat: products from our land, cultivated and produced with care, and sold directly from the producer to the consumer.
Today, Finca Telereta is a project that brings together agriculture, livestock, and local products. We continue to work with the same enthusiasm that started it all, tending to our pistachio trees, our sheep, and the projects that have sprung up around the farm.
Pistachios, La Vaca Madruga beef, and La Muñeca chickpeas are now part of this story that we continue to build day by day.
And who knows… perhaps the next step will be to come full circle so that, in the future, we can also offer direct sales of lamb meat from the sheep that are already part of Finca Telereta.
It would be yet another way to keep doing what we love most: bringing the countryside directly to your table. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and join the Agri family so you don't miss a thing! @agripilar @fincatelereta @lavacamadruga
