Marche region, Italy
Founded in 1971 to stop the rural exodus of young farmers toward the coast, the Gino Girolomoni Cooperative has spent over 50 years shaping the organic movement in Italy’s Marche region. This unique farm-to-fork ecosystem operates around a historic monastery, it brings together 400 local farmers, an organic mill, and a dedicated pasta factory running entirely on 100% renewable energy.
As Europe’s only entirely organic pasta factory owned directly by its farmers, the cooperative crafts thousands of tons of pasta annually for the global market. However, it faces tough commercial barriers: Italy’s domestic organic consumption remains remarkably low, the national market lacks competitive retail alternatives, and local farm structures are highly fragmented.
Acting as a Living Lab, Girolomoni is prototyping scalable models to build a highly resilient agri-food ecosystem. It protects biodiversity and guarantees a fair price to producers while making high-quality organic food accessible to all.
Connecting with the Consumer explores how to communicate the value of organic seed breeding to consumers. Through research, focus groups, and collaboration with universities, Girolomoni is developing a clear and transparent narrative that highlights food sovereignty, sustainability, and the environmental benefits of organic seeds.
Organic From the Seed is driving the transition to organically bred durum wheat by developing native organic seed varieties adapted to organic farming. Through field trials, scientific collaboration, and farmer support, Girolomoni aims to improve crop performance, reduce dependence on conventional seeds, and strengthen sustainable organic cereal production.
