Interview with Maria Girolomoni, communication and public relations
His father’s phrase “the earth is our mother! A mother who feeds you and you have to look after her ”is in itself an ethical program of life. I think the bond and respect for this territory is the basis of your journey, is that so?
Everything started from this concept, that is to protect the land through the spread of an agriculture that did not damage it. More environmental damage has been done in 70 years than ever before.
We cannot continue to produce and consume as if no one were to come after us. Organic farming was the answer to the cry of the wounded earth. We are among the first Italian organic companies, as evidenced by judicial processes because we wrote on the label of “organic” pasta when there was still no legislation in Italy that defined its characteristics. Thus was born the Gino Girolomoni Cooperative, initially Alce Nero Cooperative (brand sold in 2004).
From desolation and abandonment thanks to your work, not only an area has been reborn, but it has also become a beacon for organic products in Italy, the utmost respect for the territory. Could you explain the Bio that you make every day?
The agricultural cooperative chose wheat as a raw material and pasta as a product to go to the market with, but behind the business purpose there was the more ambitious intention of spreading organic farming to the fullest and giving a new perspective to the rural world. Our father has given over 500 lectures around the world and we do our best. Today, 70 people go up to work every day on these once abandoned hills, we have 400 associated farms, most of the Province of Pesaro and Urbino and the Marche Region, but also other parts of Italy. About 8000 visitors a year come from all over the world, who sleep in the ancient Monastery of Montebello, which we have completely raised, eat organic local products in the inn and visit the factories, to learn about how pasta is made and touch a utopia become reality.
Our payoff is “Beyond organic” or organic is the starting point, not the arrival point, there are other aspects that we pursue such as justice in the remuneration of wheat to farmers, therefore also to ourselves, investing in energy renewables as soon as possible and culture through the activities of our Foundation and those of other realities in the area which, albeit in different areas, carry out the same cause.
Today the Cooperative is a combination of arms, brains, passion and respect. How did you manage to recreate the work by attracting young people to the area?
In reality they are mostly young people from the area with which we are growing together, in addition to new professionals and internal figures with more experience.
His father was defined as a visionary farmer, his brother pursued the concept of the complete supply chain from grain of wheat to pasta. Can you tell us about this latest adventure and how the territory interacts with you?
Since Giovanni Battista became president in 2012, the number of employees has gone from 35 to 70, the turnover from 7 million to almost 14, a boiler fueled by local wood chips sent by the pasta factory was installed, the mill was built and started up, the ‘link that was missing to close the supply chain. The dream that our father was unable to see realized, the closure of the supply chain represents a significant step which, in addition to an entire quality control on all the steps, can guarantee a better enhancement of agricultural work and ecological performance, allowing to reduce waste. and cut management and transport costs. With the commissioning of our own mill it is possible to closely monitor the processing of wheat at every stage, from sowing to cultivation, from harvesting to storage, from cleaning to grinding, to obtain a tailor-made semolina for the pasta factory to maintain pasta the nutritional properties of wheat.