On September 27 and 28, 2025, the San Michele Farm of Cortellazzo (Jesolo, VE) transforms into the beating heart of Italian organic farming. NaturaSì, one of the main European players in the organic sector, will celebrate its first 40 years with the Agrifestival, an event that promises to be much more than a simple corporate celebration.
A growth path marked by transparency
The numbers speak clearly: in the first half of 2025, NaturaSì recorded a revenue growth of 7.6% and of the customer base of 6%, confirming the solidity of a business model rooted in values well defined. Founded in 1985 as a small cooperative shop in Conegliano Veneto, the company today has about 300 connected farms, 330 points of sale e over 1,200 collaborators, with a rate of customer loyalty of 69%.
What really distinguishes NaturaSì in the large-scale retail landscape is its governance model based on Steward Ownership, which entrusts the majority of ownership to a non-profit foundation. An approach that guarantees the continuity of the mission of the company over time, prioritizing thesocial and environmental impact over profit alone.
The courage of price transparency
NaturaSì's commitment to fairer agriculture found its highest expression in the campaign 'We support agriculture', launched in March 2025. A revolutionary initiative that made transparent the composition of the price of key products such as bread, tomato puree, fennel, juicing oranges and kiwis, showing consumers the final price share which is actually paid to farmers.
The data are eloquent: NaturaSì organic durum wheat is paid to the farmer 45 cents per kilo, compared to 30 cents in the conventional supply chain. For one kilogram of fennel priced at 3.98 euros, as much as 1.80 euros (almost 50%) goes directly to the farm, while the rest covers logistics, transport, point of sale costs and quality control.
This transparency takes on an even deeper meaning if we consider that in the 1970s 19% of the price of bread went to the farmer, today it is only 4%. A dramatic contraction that highlights how urgent it is to reverse the trend to ensure economic sustainability of the primary sector.
A festival for the future of agriculture
The Agrifestival fits into this context as a moment of celebration but also of reflection on the future of agriculture. The program, rich in talks, tastings, exhibitions and shows, will include moments of particular importance such as the comparison between companies adopting the model of Steward Ownership, titled ‘Between private ownership and collective ownership, ownership with responsibility for the common good’.
Teresa Mannino, Sicilian author and comic actress, will be the special guest of the event, dialoguing with the protagonists of the NaturaSì community in a format that promises to combine reflection and entertainment. There will also be creative workshops for children and adults, the guided tours discovering the San Michele Biodynamic Farm, the showcooking and convivial moments such as the Agrilunch and the Agridinner with local organic products.
A community looking to the future
‘Our life physical on earth depends on the work of others’, recalls Fabio Brescacin, president and founder of NaturaSì, summarizing that so-called ‘economic altruism’ that is the basis of the company's project. An approach that recognizes how too low a price in the countryside does not allow investments, creates debt, discourages young generations and forces production with consequent environmental and social problems.
Agrifestival therefore represents not only a moment of celebration, but also an opportunity to reflect on alternative models of sustainable economic development. In an era in which over 5 million farms have disappeared in Europe in the last 15 years, initiatives like this show that it is possible to build models that put sustainability, equity andequity and the respect for the planet at the center of the economy.
The challenge is ambitious: create a conscious community of farmers and processing companies, distributors and consumers who share the passion for a healthy, natural and respectful food of society and the environment. The NaturaSì Agrifestival proposes itself as a new step forward in the construction of this agricultural and social model.
For information on the complete program and event registrations, consult the official NaturaSì website.
Dario Dongo
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT – Food Times) and Égalité.
