Company

COMPANY

Riso di Nori is an established brand with which the Azienda Agricola Bertolone Eleonora di Bertolone Giovanni offers the food market its heritage of valuable, sometimes even exclusive, wholly Italian rices, helping to safeguard the biodiversity of historic classic varieties at risk of disappearing due to the almost complete prevalence of new, more productive modern varieties with geometrically similar grains but without the original flavour. In fact, we still cultivate the Carnaroli Classico, the Rosa Marchetti, the Sant'Andrea DOP Baraggia, bearers of the great Italian risotto tradition.

In addition to this 'historical line', the innovation pursued in recent years allows us to add a new line of aromatic pigmented varieties, rich in antioxidants, such as the Riso Violet and the Orange Rice, included in the Varietal Register of the Ente Risi; of both we hold the relevant European Patents (Community Plant Variety Right). Our rice fields extend over the territories of the municipalities of Quinto Vercellese and of Collobiano, the latter included in the Consorzio DOP of Baraggia Biellese and Vercellese. These are lands of rice-growing excellence, irrigated with the clear waters of the Cavour Canal and the Cervo Torrent, overlooked by the splendid Alpine scenery of Monte Rosa.

Combining tradition and innovation, the company pursues not only product excellence and the defence of rice biodiversity, but also the development of technologies and processes strongly aimed at environmental sustainability. We wish to collaborate with other niches of excellence with a short supply chain in which Italy's great agrifood heritage is rich, promoting experimental research activities and training projects for young people and participating in initiatives capable of combining the pleasure of taste with the healing potential of food.

HINTS OF FAMILY HISTORY

The all-Vercellian history of the company has deep roots, dating back to the time of the Unification of Italy with the succession of several generations, but with the stable alternation of the two names Giorgio and Giovanni, starting with the ancestor Giorgio Bertolone and the small farm named Valgioia at Municipality of Stroppiana. Becoming more numerous, our family made the 'San Martino' move (always in November, at the end of the harvest), moving to the Cascina Follia at Municipality of Caresana where he immediately became passionate about the great Tradition of the Corsa dei Buoi (Running the Oxen), becoming the winner for many years.

In 1956 another 'San Martino' was made, because the innate, but not yet expressed, vocation of Agricultural Entrepreneurs indicated the need to grow, and we all arrived at the Castello di Quinto (Quinto Castle). At the time, the family consisted of around 20 members, all of whom were needed to cultivate an expanse of rice fields three times as large as the previous one. 

As technological progress allowed for growth, my father Giorgio Bertolone, known to all as Gino, and his brother Domenico acquired in Municipality of Quinto the Cascina Malcontento and in the Municipality of Collobiano the Tenuta Cartiera. It was the real turning point, the realised dream of not just remaining tenants, but becoming owners, not out of a desire to own, but to establish an even deeper emotional bond with the rice fields.

The handover of the baton from my father to me in 2008 did not turn out to be immediately possible, as I was busy in Rome in the aerospace world; it was then that my daughter Eleonora took on the task of running the company, while she finished her studies in Business Administration. It was with her that we started with the first initiative of packaged rice with a short supply chain, with a large rice, the Baldo, branded Ferrarini in February 2011. Soon after, the proprietary brand was born Riso di Nori, as Eleonora is affectionately called in the family. 

In the almost fifteen years of running the business, Eleonora, joined in recent years by her husband Stefano Sanese, has successfully developed that initial short supply chain project, focusing on Italian varieties of both historical excellence and health value, however niche, and receiving awards and recognitions, including being a speaker at Agrifood conferences during the big Expo 2015 event.

Today I, Giovanni Bertolone, Gianni for friends, I have the honour of being the owner of our company, with a great debt of gratitude and affection towards all those who have alternated at its helm over a couple of centuries.

My son Giorgio, who has a long experience in Canada in the world of virtual reality, has been helping me for the past few months; he is now applying his knowledge to updating our internal management systems.

Elisabetta, my first daughter, also worked in the company for some time developing communication and social media, while Nicoletta, my wife, looks after the exterior and interior decoration of the estate. With our nine grandchildren, we are now back to being about 20 in the family, as we were at the time of San Martino at Castello di Quinto Vercellese some 70 years ago.