Economic sustainability: securing the future for members
Economic sustainability is a cornerstone of VIP’s commitment to its 1,500 member producers and their families. The Consortium works to maximise the value of their apple harvests, ensuring that fruit growing remains a viable and rewarding profession for future generations. Given that the average farm size is just three hectares, VIP’s role in supporting these small-scale producers is crucial.
This economic sustainability is achieved through a cooperative model that centralises key services—from marketing to logistics—while maintaining a strong focus on quality. VIP provides continuous professional guidance throughout the production cycle, from selecting apple varieties best suited to climate change and market demand to optimising cultivation and harvest.
Every step of the process is also fine-tuned for economic efficiency. Apples are picked in multiple rounds to ensure that only those at peak ripeness are harvested. They are then stored under optimal conditions, carefully selected, and delivered to customers via an unbroken cold chain. Any apples damaged by hail or other factors are sent to VOG Products, South Tyrol’s leading fruit processing company, where they are turned into juice, concentrate, or purée. The philosophy is clear: No Food Waste in Val Venosta.
ELLA: a platform to track and enhance biodiversity efforts
A fundamental principle of the Association of Fruit and Vegetable Cooperatives of Val Venosta is the active promotion of biodiversity through targeted measures in orchards. The market and major retailers demand demonstrable efforts in biodiversity conservation, and VIP supports numerous concrete actions in line with Bioland guidelines. These include the construction of dry-stone walls as refuges for wildlife, the installation of nesting boxes, and the planting of flower strips and hedgerows. Over 70% of surveyed farms have planted hedgerows in their orchards, more than half have introduced perennial shrubs, and 40% have tall solitary trees.
To ensure traceability of these efforts, the South Tyrol Advisory Centre for Fruit and Wine Growing has developed ELLA, the Agricultural Habitat Monitoring Module. By the 2025 production year, the goal is for all farms to document their biodiversity measures using ELLA.
Biodiversity protection: bee pastures on Monte Sole
Apples and bees are an inseparable duo, and VIP actively contributes to bee conservation through various initiatives. One example is its collaboration with local beekeepers to protect bee habitats. To address the food shortage period between apple blossom season and the relocation of beehives to higher altitudes, VIP has established dedicated bee pastures, ensuring a steady supply of pollen and nectar. One pasture has been created on Monte Sole in Laces and another on Monte Sole in Corzes (Silandro), an area previously affected by black pine moth larvae. VIP, together with VOG Products, funded the removal of the pines, which posed a potential health risk, and facilitated the development of the new bee pasture, supplying 200 trees and bee-friendly seeds to support the project.
Herbicide-free cultivation: a choice for the future
VIP adheres to the European Union’s ecological standards and goes even further. In this spirit, it has launched the “Voluntary Herbicide-Free Initiative”. Many producers have adopted mechanical weed control methods, which are more environmentally friendly but also more labour-intensive and costly than traditional methods. “Currently, 28% of the total apple-growing area in Val Venosta is managed without herbicides – explains Viktoria Alber, VIP’s Sustainability Manager – This accounts for a total of 1.464 hectares and has enabled us to launch the ‘100% Herbicide-Free Apples’ line, packaged in eco-friendly cardboard trays, which has been particularly well received by consumers”.
