55-year-old carpenter Vilson Vogel from São Miguel do Oeste, Brazil abandoned his steady and well-paid work to devote himself exclusively to dragonfruit cultivation. Nine years ago he started cultivation as a supplementary income, but demand grew so much that customers went to his home and left money taking fruit. Today it grows 450 trees that yield 5-6 tons per harvest and is 100% self-sufficient. However, market saturation led to a dramatic fall in prices from 40-50 reals per kilo to just 4-6 reals.
Analyticalally:
A carpenter left behind a well paid job to maintain exclusively with what he earns from producing and selling dragonfruit.
After two decades of daily work in woodworking, the Wilson Vogel He decided to make a total reversal in his life. The 55-year-old from São Miguel do Oeste of Brazil, left a steady job with a good salary to devote exclusively to the cultivation of dragonfruit (fruit of the dragon).
From supplementary income to principal: Production of up to 6 tonnes per harvest
This change began to develop nine years ago when the Vogel He was looking for a way to raise his income. What began as complementary work, quickly turned into passion.
For a time he combined woodworking with tree care, but demand from customers began to grow vertically. As he recounts, customers came to the point of going home while he was away, taking fruit from the table and leaving the money. At that moment he realized that he had to make a decision.
For four years, Vogel's been living. 100% from its production. Today it grows about 450 trees, which they attribute to him by five to six tonnes of fruit per harvest.
The products are made available to both local shops and directly to consumers, even through WhatsApp. Despite the initial difficulties and sensitivity of the plant to the cold, he considers himself lucky, as his area has the appropriate microclimate with minimal frost.
Market saturation and price fall
Despite his success, Vogel is now faced with saturation The Commission's proposal is based on the principle of subsidiarity. Large competition has led to a sharp drop in prices. While previously the kilo was sold by 40 to 50 Brazilian reales, today the price has fallen to 4 to 6 reality.
This trend mainly affects the large producers who have employees, however Vogel remains committed to his own production model, having found the life he was looking for away from the carpentry workshop.
