Ripe berries have a luscious aroma, vibrant color, plump uniform texture, and sweet taste to attract animals and birds so that berry seeds will be dispersed. When animals and birds eat berries, it is an indication that the berries are ripe. There are a couple of references available for you in that section. The ripening process is a somewhat oxidatively stressful situation for berries, so they develop antioxidants to defend themselves against that stress. This is why ripe berries have a lot more health benefits. Please read about these benefits under their respective descriptions on this site. We pick only ripe berries. Ripe berries are highly perishable and we have special packaging, storage, and delivery methods to ensure that you will be able to reap the full health benefits and sensual pleasure from eating our berries. Ripe raspberries are soft and can’t be packaged in multiple layers. Our package contains only a single layer in a closed box, so that the berries are not crushed and remain in place when handled. The proportion of edible raspberries in our package is much larger than in other packages. The packaging for our other berries is flat too, and does not exceed two layers.