The apple doesn’t fall far from the trunk, provided that the trees are not on steep slopes. My father Martin and me manage our farm near Parcines together. This small village is situated on a rather steep slope at only a few minutes by car of the spa town of Merano.

Producing apples here takes a lot of effort. In 2014, my father applied for the Bioland certification, which meant even more work – also for me as his son. Managing our Pröfinghof farm according to the strict Bioland directives means guaranteeing biodiversity and continuously promoting useful insects. In this context, my father won a competition for building an „insect hotel“, a cozy place of retreat for many types of insects. Furthermore, we created several nesting places for many animal species in our orchards. Because in the end you need a fertile soil for a good harvest. My father is a trained soil practitioner and I constantly learn from him. When we manage to keep the soil fertile in a natural way, half the work is done.

My mother also knows the principle: she lays out lovely flowerbeds and runs a small farm shop. Both local people and tourists looking for tasty and healthy products very much appreciate our own fruit as well as homemade dried fruit, apple jelly and apple juice. Our private „Tappeiner Walk“ is less famous than the one in Merano but equally precious.