Demeter Certification |
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Since it was established, in 1978, Fattoria La Vialla has always been organic. When Piero and Giuliana Lo Franco (the parents of the three brothers, Gianni, Antonio and Bandino, now “in charge”) took on the first fields and farmsteads of what is today the Fattoria, they didn’t think twice about what kind of agriculture they would follow: Grandmother Caterina had always cultivated the land using just natural manure and following the lunar calendar for pruning and sowing. More than a conscious decision, organic was an “instinct”. |
![]() The biodynamic horn manure |
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La Vialla, therefore, was organic before there was an official body to certify such things. It was in fact one of the first Italian farms to obtain certification when the AIAB (= Italian Association for Organic Agriculture) was established in 1983. For the biodynamic method, on the other hand, the decision was more “active”, pursued. At the beginning of the 90s we began to take more of an interested in this type of agriculture that, for us, as staunch “naturalists”, was just the next logical step: in fact, over the years, we have seen that the more one follows nature’s rhythm, the better the harvest is and the higher the quality. After 10 years of conversion, in 2005, La Vialla also obtained biodynamic certification. Currently, 590 hectares are cultivated with the biodynamic method and certified by Demeter.
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![]() Green manure and biodiversity in the vineyards |
This result is the fruit of years of work and of meticulous organisation of the entire, complex production chain, throughout the various production sectors at La Vialla (grapes-wine, olives-oil, sheep-milk-pecorino cheese, cereals-flour-biscuits/pasta, vegetables-sauces, etc.) which are closely linked, from cultivation, to production, to packaging. |
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This task of conversion is in constant development because it follows the Fattoria’s natural evolution: every year another field or piece of vineyard becomes “Viallino”, which means that – if it isn’t already so – it is converted to natural agriculture, initially to the organic method (a process that takes 3 years), then to the biodynamic one (another 2 years). Over the years more than 350 hectares have been converted!
There are however some products that still do not have the European leaf or the Demeter logo, for various reasons:
For other products the Fattoria has already managed to “bring home” biodynamic harvests that, before, were extremely rare:
We, the five family members, Piero, Giuliana, Gianni, Bandino and Antonio, have set ourselves the objective of obtaining Demeter certification for all our products (on the labels too) within 10 years. During this period we will dedicate ourselves to resolving the issues mentioned above. With this aim, in 2010, we established the “Fondazione Famiglia Lo Franco”, our Foundation for the Conversion to Organic and Biodynamic Agriculture.
We will keep you updated!
With our very best wishes, Gianni, Antonio and Bandino Lo Franco
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