I would have loved to become a full-time farmer, but my brother, as the eldest son, took over the family farm. I help him very often and with pleasure. At the same time, I own a small piece of land, which I cultivate with Bonita apples. I switched everything to organic when I replaced most of the old Golden Delicious trees with Bonita. The sloping fields are suitable for both varieties, and important tasks occur at the same time for both varieties. As a trained mechatronics engineer, I work as a technical director in a private company and have to try to combine both worlds as best as I can. Since I can most easily take time off in November, I planted envy™ apple trees as well. These ripen in November, so I can harvest them almost on my own.

I am meticulous and very detail-oriented. While many organic farmers let their apples grow a bit wilder in their orchards, everything in my orchards must look perfectly neat. I can’t help it: I go through all the rows of trees several times, checking for mouse holes, potential defects in the poles and tree rows, or wires that are not perfectly attached to the branches. Even the apple crates during the harvest must always be neatly lined up. These traits are probably linked to my zodiac sign, Aquarius. While this creates extra work, I really enjoy my part-time work as an organic farmer. As soon as my shift at the company ends at 3:00 PM, I head straight into the nature of the Vinschgau apple orchard.

There’s always something to do, both for me and my brother. Together, we also continue the tradition of producing speck and sausages, which we inherited from our parents. At my parents’ farm, chickens, horses, cows, and pigs are kept. This way, I can obtain many foods directly from the source, from the “Stadlgut” farm, and I also often shop at local farmers’ markets. For me, the regionality of food, knowing where it comes from and that it is from the local area, is much more important than the fact that I buy organic. What use is an organic apple, for example, if it is imported from China? This thought is reflected in my lifestyle in many areas, not only when I get valuable cow manure from other farmers as fertilizer or receive fresh bread from my sister’s farm. Here in the Vinschgau, the highest product quality is combined with the best taste experience, and I can excite many customers with my organic apples who feel the same way I do.