Italy: Cuor di Noce brand

"Tenuta La Spiga", owned by the Gaggia family, is located just a few km from the lagoon and the seaside town of Caorle. It grows hazelnuts, cereal, corn, wheat and soy; produces Prosecco and cultivates 120 hectares of walnuts of the Lara and Chandler varieties used for the Cuor di Noce brand.

"We have been growing walnuts since 1993. Walnuts were already found in the area in the 1920s, as each rural building had its own walnut tree and the fruits were shared among the families. According to tradition, a walnut tree was planted each time a girl was born to be part of her dowry," explains Alessandro Gaggia (in the photo).

"In 1993, I decided to focus on walnut production. I started with feltrina walnuts, which are small with a sweet flavour, and then moved on to Lara, with grades above average and harvested between late September and mid-October. They have a light-brown colour, round coarse shells and excellent-quality kernels. I then added Chandler, which is very well-known all over the world. I now own 90 hectares of Lara and 30 of Chandler."

"Tenuta La Spiga" has become a point of reference for walnut cultivation on a national level thanks to eco-compatible techniques, attention to food security, professionalism, significant investments (40 cameras and soil probes were recently installed) and continuous training.

Walnut trees.

Walnut trees are thinned in winter and irrigated through a sprinkling system. Grass is planted to favour harvesting and guarantee product characteristics in case of rain. Particular attention is paid to fertilisation, disease control and soil pH.

Harvesting is carried out between late-September and mid-October with modern shaking machines that work with fruits on the ground - rotating brushes pass near the trunks and bring the walnuts in front of the machine. A soft-plastic rotor leads the fruits to a vibrating belt that sorts empty shells, leaves and impurities.

Walnut harvesting.

The company works both with the fresh produce - dried in the open air and sold as soon as harvesting ends (between late-September and November) - and the dried produce.

In the case of the dried produce, walnuts are taken to the processing centre where the following operations are performed - humidity check, washing with water, hull removal, brushing, sorting with a state-of-the-art optical sorter that calculates weight-volume ratio in real-time, and drying at a low temperature and strong ventilation with constant humidity monitoring. The fruit is then packaged based on a pre-defined scale of values (weight, colour, size). The fruit is sold in 4 kg crates but "Tenuta La Spiga" is currently working on single-portion packets with ready-to-eat walnuts.

Plans for the future
"My company has made great investments. The first and most important was the creation of a new processing, drying, storage and selling centre which will open in August. It will provide everything needed to promote this extraordinary fruit in Italy and the world."

The store is open every day except on Sundays. It sells dried walnuts in 700 gram to 2.5 kg packets as well as a wide range of walnut products - the classic "Nocino" (200 and 500 ml), biscuits, Prosecco, hazelnuts and many other delicacies (chocolate and honey).

The company is also organising guided tours, offered in English as well, so tourists visiting the seaside or the amazing cities nearby can discover the Veneto countryside and a state-of-the-art agricultural business.

Contacts:
Tenuta La Spiga
Via Sette Casoni, 4
30020 Eraclea (VE)
Tel.: (+39) 0421 237117
Email: info@tenutalaspiga.com
Web: www.cuordinoce.it
Web: www.tenutalaspiga.com