To date, around 300 farmers have joined the scheme and over 300,000 olive trees are involved in the Bläuel project. 500 farms have been converted to organic farming. It takes approximately three years to convert a farm to entirely organic production, a lengthy process that requires much support, which explains why we also sell oil and olives from farms under conversion.
Nobody ever predicted the effect this would have on the environment. Nobody ever foresaw the dramatic rise in the percentage of organic matter in the soil of organic orchards or that more insects would be seen again and that birds and other small animals would thrive - living proof that a healing of the natural cycle of nature is possible.
The network of Bläuel-contracted farmers is now well-established and continues to grow. Our farmers produce organic olive oil in accordance with the most stringent criteria of organic cultivation, but no one ever dreamed it would have been so successful on the market... Naturally, this has not just rendered the company successful but the farmers happy too.
Our company is the largest employer of the area, and the fact that so many secure their income from organic farming has enabled hundreds of people to continue living in their home-villages without being forced to migrate - a movement which has previously led to the depopulation of the countryside. This means new life in the villages, preservation of the traditional agro-environmental landscape, and excellent prospects for future generations. |
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Bläuel managing director, Burgi Bläuel |
