The earliest settlers on the plateau originated from Germany or Scandinavia and were probably troops from the defeated Roman Consul Cajo Mario camped around the city of Verona. This mountainous region was an ancient communications path between the Veneto Plain and Northern Europe. A vast, green plateau known today as the ‘Altopiano di Asiago’, or ‘The 7 Municipalities’ where the Cimbrians, as these people were called, spoke their ‘Cimbro’ language and followed their traditions for centuries. In this land of forests and open pastures where fruit and flowers were plentiful, the Cimbrians learnt how to make utensils, produce excellent cheese, weave wool and make exquisite honey and fruit preserves. The ideology behind the Rigoni di Asiago products was created from those original recipes.

Elisa Antonini (Antonio, Andrea, Luigi and Mario Rigoni’s grandmother)
possessed a strong character typical to people used to living in the mountains and a forthright manner to face life head on. A life already challenged by pain when Elisa’s husband Antonio died in Varese near Milan whilst they were evacuated there during the 1st World War, leaving Elisa to return to Asiago alone with nine children to provide for. Two of the boys, Mario and Paolo, had been inflicted by polio and were too weak for heavy labour. In mind of the boys’ disability, Elisa set up a book-binding business with beekeeping as a second activity. Their father, Antonio, had loved making honey and this Veneto plateau offered the best in wild flowers and Cimbrian traditions to learn how to keep bees and use fruit to their best advantage.

Mario and Paolo were soon to share their father’s love of beekeeping and in time demand for their honey increased so much that the Rigoni family had a second activity.
Mario and Paolo were the first owners of Apicoltura Rigoni (Rigoni Apiculture), a family business involving the entire family, especially their brothers Vittorio, Narciso and Giuseppe. The business continued to grow until it became the Rigoni family’s principal activity eventually to be succeeded by Vittorio and Narciso.

Antonio, Andrea and Luigi, Vittorio’s sons together with Narciso’s son,
Mario used to help with the beehives until they were old enough to take over the family business. Right up until 1979 the Rigoni family was dedicated to beekeeping on the plateau of Asiago, but with the third Rigoni generation, the company started collecting honey from other Italian regions until the business of processing outgrew their own activity of producing honey. The novelty lay in being the first to offer a full range of distinct mono-floral flavours. Nature’s samples were always carefully selected before being included on the “Rigoni map”, by now a symbol of quality.
At the same time the Rigoni product range was increased to include honey preserves and honey based supplements. Distribution escalated from small retailers to wholesalers and supermarkets.

In November 1989 the Berlin wall fell and with it the honey market changed radically. Products from the eastern Europe were sold at very low prices and of dubious quality. The ’90-91 consumer crisis encouraged discount shops which immediately affected customer demand. Sales margins slipped dramatically.
L’Apicoltura Rigoni had to face this crisis at the worst possible moment as they had just invested heavily in a new processing plant in Foza, near Asiago.

The market had changed and presented a new challenge. Until then, the Apicoltura Rigoni label dominated a large slice of the Italian market but now it was time to change tactic. So, the Rigoni clan, more than ever a united team, gathered forces to make another life-changing decision, given their history, traditions and nature that surrounded them: they were amongst the first in Italy to commit to the organic cause and serve that particular niche in the market. The change is dated 1992 and marks a decisive step towards the territory, to the mountains.

First of all Rigoni increased their range of honey flavours and added the organic label. Based at their laboratory in Foza, they studied new products, concentrating on jams sweetened with honey which, owing to quality control problems, was gradually abandoned in favour of a natural sweetener produced from apples. Fiordifrutta was created: an organic jam sweetened naturally and cooked at a low temperature. An immediate success. A perfect combination of natural flavours.
The organic choice was welcomed by wholesalers and consumers. The way forward now was to evolve with the new product and an industrial plan with new machines to guarantee high grade technology with maximum automation was enacted. One aim: maintain superior quality to their competitors and control costs in labour and energy.

In 1993 new opportunities were developed in Bulgaria where associated companies started farming organic fruit for Fiordifrutta, the only jam produced from pure organic fruit and apple juice. Farming and fruit preparation there has steadily increased over the years. 1997 marks another important date in the company’s history when Apicoltura Rigoni Snc became Rigoni di Asiago Spa, as a direct result of its constant growth. At the same time Rigoni USA Inc was created to distribute in the United States.
In 1999 two new partners entered the company: the Italian Government “Sviluppo Italia” (12.3%) and the regional financer “Veneto Sviluppo” (29.8%). The Rigoni family held the majority share.

The resulting increase in capital boosted Rigoni di Asiago to outright leader in the Italian organic market. Constant research into quality and an inflexible entrepreneurial ethic awarded the company and its work. Greatly appreciated and encouraged by its consumers, Rigoni developed new organic products: DolceDì – sugar made from apples and Nocciolata, a chocolate cream and hazelnut spread.
In 2005, the Rigoni brothers re-purchased their shares from Sviluppo Italia and Veneto Sviluppo to become outright owners of Rigoni di Asiago Spa.

June 2006 was significant for both Rigoni di Asiago and the organic market in general when FiordiFrutta took first position as the overall top selling jam in the Italian market beating its competitors with traditional jams.

In 2008 Rigoni di Asiago surprised the market with Fruttosa – an organic fruit dessert unlike any other.

In December 2011, finally, entered the capital of RdA the Italian Investment Fund, with the aim of encouraging the growth of the company, the majority of whichcompany remains firmly in the hands of the family Rigoni.

Today Rigoni di Asiago is not only a successful company, but a family tradition handed down and developed by successive generations. The brothers Antonio, Andrea and Luigi with their cousin Mario run their business with the same enthusiasm as their Grandmother Elisa who is to be credited with instilling Cimbrian wisdom and a love of nature.