Oranges for Justice is a perfect fit for the Open Food Network values. By sourcing oranges through a direct and very close relationship with the Mani e Terra co-operative in southern Italy, they support a cluster of small citrus farmers who would not otherwise be able to sustain their farms without selling out to the local Mafia. This is a very different model than mainstream citrus farming which is built on the exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers.
By making a direct link between the farmer and the eaters, Oranges for Justice (OFJ) enables organic production and harvesting of delicious oranges, lemons, clementines and avocados, with a fair proportion of the cost of that fruit going to the people doing the hard work – as well as a contribution going to other good causes.
Members of the Mani e Terra Co-operative in Calabria, southern Italy, courtesy of Oranges for Justice.
A welcome dose of sunshine
The OFJ team first started importing pallets of fruit in 2024 and developed their own webshop to take orders, receiving glowing feedback from customers.
Adam, OFJ customer in Crowthorne
“We have a large family who love avocado so sharing a 10 kilogram box is so covenient. My dad was a refugee so this means a lot to us.”
Carol, OFJ customer in Stroud
“These oranges are spectacular – so much tastier than any I have had from a supermarket because they have only just been picked. It is such a welcome dose of sunshine in the middle of winter!”
An orange harvest on a Calabrian farm, courtesy of Oranges for Justice.
As well as running their own webshop, OFJ also linked up with OFN UK food hubs in Gloucestershire and Cornwall keen to sell OFJ fruit through their order cycles.
Sara Rock, Tamar Valley Food Hubs
“The Oranges for Justice team do all the hard work of managing the imports of this amazing fruit. All we needed to do was add their products to our order cycles and arrange the UK logistics of getting it here in time to add it to our regular weekly order cycles for customers to add to their (virtual) basket. It has been a very popular addition to our customers’ winter orders.”
Fruits of the harvest in transit, courtesy of Oranges for Justice.
Expanding through the Open Food Network UK
Last year, partly to cut the cost of maintaining their own webshop, partly as they realised the benefits of accessing all the functionality of the OFN platform, and partly to link their products into the UK-wide network of OFN shops and hubs, OFJ decided to move all of their trading onto the Open Food Network UK.
Karen Crooks, Oranges for Justice
“The OFJ team are passionate about building alternative food systems that are fair to the farmers and growers, as well as providing delicious, nutritious food that is food for people and for nature. By linking with the Open Food Network UK, we are able to tap into all the other amazing local food communities that are using the platform to build fairer food systems. At the same time, we are glad to be supporting an open source software system that is in common ownership in perpetuity.”
This year, OFJ will be expanding to three new locations and is also interested in working with even more OFN UK food hubs and shopfronts who would like to add the OFJ products to their order cycles.
These are the 2026 locations currently planned:
- Stroud, Gloucestershire
- Oxford / Witney
- Tamar Valley, Cornwall
- Reading, Berkshire
- Norwich
- Macclesfield
- Walthamstow
- South Shropshire
- Bridport, Dorset
If you are an Open Food Network UK food hub or shopfront close to any of these locations and keen to stock Oranges for Justice fruit this coming season (with deliveries in December and March), please contact Karen Crooks at Oranges for Justice in the first instance and stay tuned for updates via the OFJ website.
