Almost a "surreal" world, located just a few km from central Milan, where fruit is cultivated in suspended greenhouses, heated with photovoltaic panels. This is the work of Guglielmo Stagno d'Alcontres, who chose to combine tradition and innovation.
Left to right: Coldiretti giovani representative Maria Letizia Gardoni, straBerry founder Guglielmo Stagno d'Alcontres and Coldiretti President Roberto Moncalvo.
Guglielmo, who graduated from Bocconi and is very creative and exuberant, is the mind behind straBerry, the start-up of which he is founder and sole administrator. In the family property, he built five photovoltaic greenhouses covering 5,000 sq m where he grows 6,000 raspberry plants and 200,000 strawberry plants using soil-less cultivation techniques.
Strawberries and raspberries grow up to two metres high on coir substrates. Two strawberry rows are transplanted in each sack, for a total of ten plants irrigated via a 2 cm pipe supplying self-compensating emitters.
"I had the idea in 2010, while I was following a course on renewable energy applied to agriculture at Bocconi. I decided to invest in the family land. My mother Fabrizia had some land she used to rent on the periphery of the city which had been abandoned for years."
"I took a risk. Of course my degree helped me and I have always liked spending time in the countryside. It is quite special, because you get to learn about the entire cultivation cycle of fruits."
Once harvested, the produce is placed in crates and distributed all over the city through branded ApeCars that contain both freshly harvested fruit as well as jams, smoothies and fruit salads.
Above and below: the products distributed with ApeCars.
Strawberries have a real ID that traces their whole journey from sowing to harvesting. Labels have a QR Code that enables customers to learn about the history of the product - from who harvested and packaged it to where the plant is located.
"It is a young business that is growing and that is currently the largest soft fruit producer in the area. Our land is located inside the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano, the largest agricultural area surrounding a city in Europe. The outer part is used to grow fruit, vegetables, cereal and soft fruit."
"We have a nursery where we sell plants and those who have little time but don't want to give up on eating high-quality fruit and vegetables can shop in our store." We also work with two producers in central Italy and Sicily so our strawberries can be available already in February.
"Part of our land has been divided into plots that can be rented out to make your own veggie plot."
StraBerry won Coldiretti's Oscar Green award both in 2013 and 2014 as an innovative company that cares about environmental sustainability.
In 2015, it was recognised as a high-quality producer of the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano for its commitment to safeguarding the environment and local territory.
The idea of making processed products derives from the fact that the company is against waste. "Of course nature doesn't only produce fruits that comply with market requirements. Instead of throwing small or bad-looking fruit away, we process it."
"Our products are very popular, also because they are value for money. Volumes increase every year, but prices remain stable. For example, we sell 2 kg strawberry crates at €10 and people come looking for us because they can smell the produce."
"We do not export our products. 80% is sold through direct sales and 20% is destined to 13 hypermarkets of the Finiper group."
Contacts:
Straberry
Cascina Pirola
via XXV Aprile
Cassina de Pecchi (MI)
Tel.: (+39) 337 1272001
Emali: [email protected]
Web: www.straberry.it
