The fourth generation of the Varvaglione family is very sensitive to the issue of both social and environmental sustainability. Annalucia Galeone went to see what good practices are being adopted.
Marzia, Angelo and Chicca represent the fourth generation of the Varvaglione family, wine producers on the outskirts of Taranto. Over time, the company has grown, invested and continues to do so, consolidating the brand’s presence Varvaglione 1921 in both domestic and foreign markets.
The winery, which makes family management its strong point, has succeeded in creating an emotional bond with consumers. By enhancing the cultural and historical roots of the place of origin. Great attention is paid to the local area; there are created synergies with local businesses. For make it better appreciated and known to locals and non-locals, focusing on the sense of belonging, respect and value of its preservation without forgetting to introduce innovative production methods.
Marzia is in charge of marketing and development, Chicca is the winemaker, completing the strategic staff organization with a key and still little-known role is Angelo who has become sustainability manager.
“The most important part of my work is the financial sustainability which focuses on the cost killing. L‘elimination of unnecessary costs throughout the supply chain in order to have greater economic availability and thus resources to invest in social, environmental and governance sustainability – Angelo Varvaglione says. Environmental sustainability at vineyards is related to financial sustainability since good practices lead yes to reduced environmental impact but also to lower production costs.”
Best practices introduced to make a difference
- Il “lombricomposting” is used to create a natural biological cycle starting with our harvest waste and leading, through the digestion of this waste by earthworms, to the production of humus. This humus will later be used in vineyards to improve soil fertility and thus grape quality. Here is an excellent example of a circular economy where from a waste is created value, in this case by self-producing fertilizer for our vineyards and thus going to reduce the impact of climate change on soil that year after year is in danger of becoming less fertile.
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Francesca Varvaglione I drones instead have the function of Monitor the nutritional status of the plant. This data is crucial because through the nutrition of the vine we control its health and the quality of the grapes. Going to intervene in a precise manner after having developed a vineyard map through the use of the drone, with its relative deficiencies, we act super precisely (almost plant by plant) thus avoiding wasting water and fertilizer.
Varvaglione’s energy autonomy
- L’energy autonomy Instead, it concerns the “cellar” side of the supply chain. We know that wineries are energy intensive in that they require only electricity to run all the machinery inside. We have decided to become completely energy self-sufficient by investing in photovoltaic panels that we have implanted on the roofs of our buildings.
We have achieved enough power to be 100% energy independent, when the Gse will allow us to feed 100% of the energy produced into the grid, thus almost completely zeroing out our carbon footprint and saving money on our utility bills. In the future, we aim to create our own energy community with electricity surplus, into which we can bring our employees and neighbors.
In addition, with further investment in robotics we would like to get to the point where we can manage our vineyards as if they were biodynamically managed but using the latest generation of independently driven and electrically powered vehicles instead of horses.
