Without earthworms, would this transformation take place anyway?
Not so fast. Earthworms dig tunnels to feed on the minerals in the soil dispersed over time. Then, returning to the surface, they make the earth fertile again with their faeces.
So your company, Biotres, has 'industrialised' a natural process.
Exactly. We produce Vermicompost, i.e. we buy mature cattle manure, which is an excellent organic fertiliser, but before it can be absorbed by plants it must undergo a transformation that in nature is carried out by earthworms and mycetes. A transformation, in short, that makes the minerals contained in the manure soluble to be absorbed by plants.
How do you breed earthworms?
We have built skips into which we regularly put a certain amount of mature manure. The earthworms start to feed on the manure and, once they have finished eating, they resurface and we feed another dose of manure and so on until the desired amount of regenerated fertiliser is obtained.
This 'Vermicompost' is very valuable then...
Indeed, several quintals of cattle manure are needed to make a single quintal of Vermicompost. The finished product, 'Natura è Vita', is rich in minerals and must be diluted with commercially available potting mixes in order to have a good result on the plants.
And where exactly did you start from?
It was 1985 and after registering our business at the Varese Chamber of Commerce and obtaining the necessary certifications from the Ministry of Agriculture, my wife and I invented the 'Natura è Vita' brand. We were 40 years ahead (smiles ed.). Shortly afterwards, we were approached by our first customer, a German topsoil manufacturer working in the field of sports facilities, mainly golf courses and football pitches. He was very rigorous and wanted a complete analysis to verify the nutrient composition of the fertiliser. Once he saw the data, he placed orders with us for the next five years and became our customer.
How did you come up with the idea of producing natural fertilisers?
I had a piece of land and I did not know how to use it. One day, in the mid-1980s, I became curious about womb farming, which was much talked about at the time. So I bought an earthworm farm from a company that was going into liquidation and started a collaboration with the agricultural school in Vertemate con Minoprio, in the province of Como.
What about the domestic market?
In the meantime, we have started to build our own market in Italy under the ‘Natura è Vita' brand in garden centres in Lombardy. And here, too, we have had very positive feedback.
What is the annual production of the Natura è Vita fertiliser?
The market has really appreciated the product, and from the 100 quintals we started with, we are now producing around 3,000 quintals a year. A quantity distributed in garden centres throughout Italy.
Is this fertiliser allowed in organic farming?
Yes, it is registered at the Ministry of Agriculture in the organic products section.
What do you foresee for the future?
We plan to expand to international markets such as Germany and Switzerland.
Garden enthusiasts are not the only ones interested in your product, are they?
Some large international companies have asked me for large quantities of my product to be included in their catalogues, but we prefer to focus on high quality to guarantee our most demanding customers the best fertiliser.
Tell me one thing. How many earthworms do you currently have?
Approximately 150/200 million, still belonging to the Californian strain we bought 40 years ago.
And how many employees does Biotres have?
It's just me changing jackets in every situation and becoming agent, designer, employee and salesman. In short, I transform myself, depending on the role required. I must say that my family helped me out a lot. My wife in the first place, then my daughter, a fashion specialist, who helped me modernise the 'Natura è Vita' brand, and my son, an executive in a mechanical engineering company, who updated my production system.
Scopri i Campi di applicazione