My name is Giovanni Gullino and I am the son of a farmer. I have been working in the fruit and vegetable sector since I was a child and I am very proud to carry on the family tradition that began almost 60 years ago. I am grateful for all the lessons that my relatives taught me, but I have always felt the need to leave a mark of my own on the farm. In fact, in 1997 I started cultivating our produce following the rules of organic farming, driven by a passion for nature, quality, and full respect for all the living beings that populate my fields. Since 2016 we have been practising biodynamic agriculture according to the teachings of Rudolf Steiner. I supervise the land and the workers, whom I prefer to call friends, on a daily basis. Without their help none of this would be possible. I am a person who loves their work and enjoys the simple things in life. I interrupted my studies to join the farm and to work directly in production. When I started working I was still a teenager, so at the beginning it was difficult to learn and understand how to work in the fields. For example, I had to learn early on that it is very important to know how to use a spade or a shear properly so that I didn’t end the day with a sore back! Above all the greatest difficulty was adapting my life to the rhythm of nature. The working hours in agriculture are different from other types of work. With time, and thanks to the lessons passed down from my family, I learned the techniques and adapted my body and mind to the rhythm of work in the countryside. At the beginning many people were sceptical about my choice, but time has proved me right. The world is changing, but I stand by my decision because the more time that passes, the more I realise that sadly, many people are losing direct contact with the land and nature. Every morning before starting my work shift I stop to watch the dawn silently break through the endless fields, and every time I think that if I were to go back I would definitely make the same choice again. In winter I supervise the pruning, and in summer and autumn the harvesting. This job makes me proud and every morning I get up with a smile on my face, even though I know it's going to be a hard day.

The Tetto Bernardo farm covers 70 hectares and is located in the municipality of Cuneo, at the foot of two beautiful valleys that extend below the Italian Alps; the Stura Valley and the Grana Valley. We are located at an altitude of 540 metres, which is considered the ideal altitude for apple cultivation. Until the end of the 19th century, the area where we are located was called the "Dragon's Tail Region". This is due to the fact that a current of air blows all year round, characterising the microclimate of the farm. This current improves the air quality in the area, and consequently improves the quality of the apples as well. For this reason, apples have been cultivated for more than a century in this highly productive and fertile area. It is bordered to the south by Bisalta, to the south-west by Argentera and Monte Matto, to the north-west by Monviso, and to the north by Monte Rosa. The company was founded in 1961 and we have been producing apples for three generations. On this farm we grow Royal gala apples and Mele Inored (we have land on other farms where we grow kiwis as well!). Two river water canals that come directly from the Stura di Demonte river cross the farm, and it is also equipped with 3 wells for drip irrigation. This method provides up to 3 litres of water per hour per plant, and we decided to use precision drip irrigation as it is automatic and controlled. We are very careful to measure the water usage well because we know that it is a valuable resource. To determine the amount of water needed, we do not use a single formula, rather we try to take into account various factors - both climatic and precise field analyses - to assess the areas that need the most water. Of course the most critical time that requires the most water is the summer period. The cultivation here is organic, meaning that we do not use chemical compounds. We rely heavily on the concept of integrated pest management and biological control using useful insects such as ladybirds, chrysopaea, and hoverflies, that we introduce to our orchards: ladybirds, chrysopaea and hoverflies. Our rows are covered with grass, which is a clear sign that we do not use chemical herbicides or pesticides. Our grassed rows have become essential as they increase the biodiversity of the field by providing shelter for beneficial insects that can help us fight pathogens and harmful insects. In addition to the turf, we are planning a new project with some local landscapers and agronomists. We will be planting field hedges, and the aim of the project is to increase biodiversity on the farm. Field hedges are made up of native flora which attract and provide shelter for native micro-fauna. We have already experimented with this on some plots and the results were so good that we decided to use this field hedge scheme for almost all of our plots. In addition to their agronomic value, these field hedges have a high aesthetic value as many of the species used produce fantastic, brightly coloured, and intensely scented flowers. The work team is made up of 14 people; myself, my sister, and regularly employed staff, 2 of whom have been working in the company since the 1980s. The others have been with the company since 2012, and all are paid according to the laws of national contracts. We follow all the rules of Global Gap certification and Grasp certification for waste management. With the by-products we produce fruit juices and purees. Even a small part of the compost we use is produced internally, and the rest is bought externally.