Luca: “The love for our land involved the whole family”

“A company handed down from generation to generation, which has involved more and more family members”. Luca Bortoli37 years old, recounts his breeding and milk production business with these words Piovene Rocchettain the province of Vicenza, which passed from the hands of his grandfather who founded it in 1974, to that of his father and uncle. Now he and his brother and his wife and sister are running it with a new business: the educational farm. “The passion for breeding was born in childhood, passed on from grandfather and father and fueled by the sense of responsibility to grow the family business – comments the entrepreneur – My grandfather started with thirty dairy cows, today we have 120 and a total of two hundred animals, in a neighboring shed we decided to open an educational farm”.

Passing down the traditions

One of the goals is to pass on the same love for the countryside and its activities to the new generations: “When we asked the children: “Where does the milk come from?”, they answered us: “From the supermarket”, says Micol, wife of Luca Bortoli. That answer lit a flame: “We want to introduce the little ones to the area and its activities – continues Micol -, we want to show them that the traditions of their land bring fruit and genuine products to their tables just a stone’s throw from home”. For this reason, within the area used as an educational farm there is a classroom that hosts children’s classes during the week and at the weekend it is used for birthday parties and dedicated activities such as farm experiences, cooking, manual skills, workshops of homemade pasta, sausages, activities related to the agricultural world. Since last year the company has also been organizing a summer center and one during the Easter holidays during which children can play and have fun in the countryside but also learn more about animals, crops and traditions.

The family value

The success of the business is mainly linked to human values: “Our trump card is that we do everything in the family – comment husband and wife -. The fact of working in the family business, with the family has increased the passion. The previous generations, then, have left us room to grow and to bring innovation within the business”. And Luca adds: “I think that if my grandfather and father saw the work we’ve done they’d be very satisfied, because despite the evolution that has taken place, the traditions remain the same as they once were”.

The milk business

Bortoli’s main business is the milkthe precious resource that the company gives to Latterie Vicenza, a cooperative that produces the Grana Padano. “Today, technology is helping us – adds the entrepreneur – The stable is completely automated, the cows are free and can go out in the open air and are equipped with an intelligent collar that monitors their state of well-being and warns us if for example they don’t eat enough or don’t move”.

L’innovation and thewatch out for livestock allow the Bortoli family to maintain the high standards required by Grana Padano Consortium: “We are proud to be part of the consortium that produces a product known and appreciated all over the world”.