Organic farming

We firmly believe that the intense and natural taste of food is achieved by loving and caring for our land, cultivated according to organic farming principles. This is because our uniquely flavoured fruit and vegetables – our most treasured raw material – can grow only on healthy and fertile soils.
Since 1980, well before the arrival of European organic farming directives, we have run LaSelva, in the south of Tuscany, in keeping with organic farming principles, and we have tried as much as possible to grow the raw materials we need for our processing operations directly on our farm.

We grow vegetables, fruits and vineyards over an agricultural area of around 743 hectares, in addition to cereals and fodder for animals, which are essential for fertilising the soils of our closed-cycle farming system. Our agricultural rotation system combines alternating crops of cereals and vegetables, as well as forage and pasture, over the years.

A quick view of LaSelva:LaSelva società bioagricola a r.l., Albinia – Orbetello in Toscana (GR)

Total area 829 hectares: 90% cultivated area (60% of which nitrogen-fixing plants), 10% Mediterranean uncultivated woodland.
207 ha meadow crops and alfalfa, 77 ha field beans, 33 ha sunflowers, 18 ha linen, 104 ha total vegetables including: 35 ha tomatoes, 17 ha artichokes, 8.4 ha basil, 15 ha legumes for food use, 28.6 ha other vegetables. 35 ha vineyards, 27 ha olive groves, 6 ha orchards.

Animals: around 180 head of Chianina cattle and 100 head of Appenninica sheep.

Wine cellar: yearly production of around 210,000 bottles.

In-house production: processing laboratory in Donoratico (Livorno) spread across 7000 square metres.

Organic certification: company controlled by ICEA (Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification) according to EC Regulation 834/2007, and by Naturland e.V.

Staff: over 70 regular staff (including staff working for LaSelva società bioagricola a.r.l. in Italy and LaSelva Toskana FeinkostVertriebs-GmbH in Germany). Up to 90 local workers involved in our farming and processing activities, remunerated according to relevant collective agreements.

Ever since 1980, LaSelva’s organic farming has been proof that an environmentally sound management may be combined with a successful production process if we care for nature and use its resources respectfully.