Cultivating biodiversity: our collaboration with Smarties.bio

In an increasingly globalized world, where culture, knowledge and flavors tend to unify, we risk losing not only biological diversity, but also the human and cultural diversity that has nourished our communities for centuries.
Seeds, tastes and traditions become private property, Standardizzati and approved.
And yet, right from the seed (the smallest and most vital of assets) can rinascere the freedom to cultivate, to choose, to tell the story of territories.

With Smarties.bio we share this commitment: to safeguard biodiversity and agricultural memory, one seed at a time.


Seeds that are born from research, passion and territory

In Sant'Anna di Chioggia, the historic cradle of Venetian horticulture, Smarties.bio, a seed company founded by agronomists Andrea Ghedina and Luca Bertaggia, was founded eight years ago.
Young but with solid skills in the sector, they have created a reality capable of merging scientific research and agricultural tradition to recover, select and multiply non-hybrid, authentic and reproducible organic seeds.

This vision is fully intertwined with ours: as an agricultural cooperative, we have been cultivating free-pollinated varieties for years, following a sustainable, transparent and local production model.

Agronomic research and varietal improvement

The Smarties.bio path is based on a constant activity of biological genetic research.
To constitute a stable and reliable variety, 5-6 years of experimentation are needed, during which

• Genetic and health analysis of seeds in Italian and French laboratories,
• Selection and reproduction of mother lines in a biological environment,
• Field agronomic tests to evaluate adaptation and yield,
• Controlled stress (water deficit, limited fertilization) to identify resilient genotypes.

Smarties.bio carries out a work of “lively”, evolutionary selection, in which each season represents a step forward towards greater ecological adaptability and nutritional quality.

The sandy and light soil of Sant'Anna di Chioggia, historically known as “the gardens of Venice”, offers a perfect environment for varietal improvement.
The company covers:

• 3.5 hectares of land for conventional research tests,
• 20 certified organic hectares intended for the production of mother and commercial seeds.

Thanks to a photovoltaic system that covers the entire energy requirement, Smarties.bio stands out as a virtuous model of a farm with reduced impact.

Biodiversity as an active agricultural resource

Our collaboration with Smarties.bio is not limited to the supply of seeds, but gives life to a real participatory research project.
Together we experiment and compare free-pollinated varieties,

• adapt to different soils and microclimates;
• withstand biotic and abiotic stresses without chemical inputs;
• guarantee high nutritional and organoleptic quality.

Currently, the Smarties.bio catalog has more than 58 varieties of radicchi and chicory, to which are added brassicaceae, solanaceae and cucurbits.
Each seed represents a living genetic heritage, which continues to evolve thanks

Beyond the hybrid: the seed as a common good

Smarties.bio has built its identity on a clear ethical choice: not to produce hybrid F1 seeds, but to favor OP (Open Pollinated) lines, reproducible and not patented.

As the founders say, the growing spread of induced male sterility and patented seeds risks limiting farmers' freedom.
For this reason, the real answer lies in a conscious pact between seed producers, farmers, consumers and restaurateurs, to defend biodiversity, traceability and food sovereignty.

Safeguarding the future, one season after another

The collaboration between our cooperative and Smarties.bio shows that research, agronomy and agricultural culture can coexist in a virtuous way.
Every season is a step towards more adapted varieties, more fertile soils and freer supply chains.

Together we continue to cultivate biodiversity, guaranteeing living and reproducible seeds for an agriculture that combines innovation, knowledge and respect for the earth.

Seeds are not only the beginning of a plant, but the origin of a thought.