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Incredible numbers
- and who is behind them?

Our apple producers, of course!

1,700 farmer families are the heart of VIP. They are passionate about their job, try out something new, break records and form a strong union despite their diversity. In this article, we would like to wow you with astounding numbers about our VIP members. We would also like to let you look behind the scenes, right into the life of our farmers. Who are the people who grow your apples? Find out!

16% women, 100% power

That makes 116% women power! In Val Venosta, the cultivation of fruit and vegetables in not a purely male domain. Our 269 female „VIPs“ work hard as well. They provide you with fresh delicacies from Val Venosta all around the year. Dear women, thank you so much for that!
 
 
 
 

In love with Golden Delicious

Oh yes, the Golden Delicious. Not only its name sounds tempting. It is still our producers’ favorite variety. A whole 82% grow Val Venosta’s king, very much to the delight of apple gourmets. Don’t you know our delicious Golden apples? Then just finish reading this article before you click through to its profile.
 
 
 
 

1,156,326 apples harvested by hand

Per producer. Per year. Not bad, isn’t it? In 2019, every apple producer in Val Venosta harvested more than one million apples on average. Not alone, of course, but all of them by hand.
A short note on the side: With last year’s harvest of all Val Venosta farmes you could fill 280 Olympic swimming pools. In total 351.460.000 kg of apples. Hats off!
 
 
 
 
 

Brunhilde Schöpf

says that it wasn’t easy to assert herself in this male domain at the beginning. In the meantime, it works perfectly well and she has become an integral and valued part of VIP.

Thomas Spechtenhauser

is one of Val Venosta’s many Golden fans. In addition to Golden Delicious, he also grows Jonagold, Gala and sweet Ambrosia apples.

Gerd Stecher

thinks that working in his orchards is like a holiday. He nevertheless has his hands full, especially when it comes to harvesting thousands of apples.

Integrated or organic production – without exception!

Here in Val Venosta we love nature. We are thankful for the fertile soil beneath our feet and protect it well. 85% respect the rules of integrated production, whereas the remaining 15% grow organic apples. Their aim is the same: cultivating apples in the greatest possible harmony with nature.
 
 
 
 

With 55 years…

…it really gets going! At least for our farmers who are, on average, a bit more than half a century old. This means that many of them have cared for their orchards for decades. But don’t worry: There’s no shortage of committed young farmers.
 
 
 
 

Just apples?

Val Venosta is known as the Apple Paradise. Its altitude and the special microclimate are not only ideal for apple trees but for other fruit and vegetable varieties as well. This is why 22% of VIP’s members do not only grow apples and thus contribute to the great variety in Val Venosta’s orchards.
 
 
 
 
 

Manfred Ladurner

is an expert when it comes to “great insects”. He knows that useful insects are best at keeping away “the bad ones” from the orchards and that it thus makes sense to cooperate with nature.

Stephan Kostner

Fruit production as a generation project: Stephan Kostner inherited his farm from his grandfather, “the postman“, and runs it together with his retired parents.

Reinhard Staffler

does not only grow apples, but also strawberries at an altitude of 1,000 m. Thanks to his courage and skill he received the Mountain Farmer Award of the South Tyrolean Raiffeisen banks in 2017.
Hello organic producers!
Would you like to take a look at our producers and their everyday life? Then you are right here. We created an own portal for our organic producers with all their stories and thoughts. What do they do? How do they manage to keep pests away naturally? And why is nature so important to them? Our organic producers will tell you personally.
 
Meet & greet our organic producers

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