Rigoni di Asiago has constantly been committed to quality and over the past 15 years has strived to create its own production line from fruit farming to the finished product. Their production chain, run from the Asiago offices, is central to the company’s activity, guaranteeing quality and respect for the environment.

Rigoni di Asiago first invested in Bulgaria in 1993 when it saw the
opportunity to farm on land that had not been cultivated since 1989
and, in contrast to other eastern European countries, the local
climate is suitable for soft-fruit farming.
The company has continued to invest in the area where it now owns
extensive farmland. Two Bulgarian companies are associated to Rigoni
di Asiago (Ecoterra and Ecovita) to complete the farming cycle from
seedling stage, cultivation, washing and freezing before shipping.
Numerous different varieties of fruit selected for their flavour and
nutritional properties are harvested when they have ripened naturally.
Within a few hours of being picked, the fruit is frozen and ready to
become the essential ingredient in a Fiordifrutta jam or Fruttosa
dessert.

The following varieties of organic fruit are farmed in Bulgaria: strawberries, wild strawberries, blackberries, plums, cherries, ‘amarene’ cherries, hazelnuts, raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, gooseberries and apples.
In addition to the cultivated fruit, wild blueberries, redcurrants, blackberries, raspberries, rose hip, cornelian cherries and sloe-plums are plentiful providing an overall total of about 3000 tons annually.
The Bulgarian companies involved are situated in the province of Montana near the Serbian border and in the area of Pazardjik, a thriving agricultural
area between Sofia and Plovdiv.
The project covers more than 2000 hectares of organically farmed land, with over 60 ha for strawberries alone. In just 20 days between May and June about 1000 fruit pickers gather as many tons of strawberries. The raspberries ripen in July and August followed by all the other fruit which is picked by 3000 seasonal workers and 200 full-time operators.
In 2007 over a million apple trees were planted across 400 ha with an estimated result of about 20,000 tons of organic apples.

The washing & freezing plant in Pazardjik covers 4000 sq m of 12,000 sq m area. The present production capacity is 3,000 tons a year with a cold-storage capacity in excess of 600 tons.
Farming and freezing in Bulgaria are completed according to strict organic farming rules and are controlled by the EU appointed QC&I International Services.

Locations in Bulgaria:

BERKOVITZA (MONTANA)
BLAGOVO
BOROVZI
KALIMANITZA
BALOVA SHUMA
GAVRIL GENOVO

PASARDJICK

As well as farming in Bulgaria, Rigoni di Asiago buys more than 2,000 tons a year of different organic fruit from longstanding suppliers in Italy.
Rigoni di Asiago’s original activity of honey-making has always been supplied by Italian beekeepers able to meet the Rigoni quality controls. Numerous varieties of mono-flora honey (made from one type of flower blossom) or millefiori – wildflowers – are collected from unpolluted oasis located in most regions of Italy.

The processing plant at Foza, set in an enchanting alpine scenario, is equipped with low energy-consuming machinery engineered, built and patented in Italy under the precise specifications of the company. Over 6,000 tons of fruit are processed by a fully automated computerized system able to track the raw materials used and process applied at any given time.

Accurate tracking and full transparency guarantees the company’s quality standards. Most of the processes are at a low temperature to maintain the fruits’ flavour and nutrients – the high quality achieved is a direct result of scrupulous work and constant quality controls. The final product reflects Rigoni di Asiago’s inflexible approach to quality.

For all this, Rigoni di Asiago makes use of specialized personnel and operates in full compliance with the internal and external. The production center of Foza is able to “churn out” every hour over 18 thousand jars of finished product. A practical demonstration of love and commitment to nature, the plant operates a cogeneration plant to natural gas, to reduce by over 50% on fuel consumption, and production center has obtained the environmental certification EMAS 14000. After production, continue with the labeling, which contains all the information needed to identify traceability, not only of raw materials, but also the transformation process performed.

Qualified personnel working in the modern and fully equipped laboratory at Foza are responsible for testing raw materials, samples taken during processing and the finished product of each batch. In addition to in-house research and testing, external laboratories perform over 100 analysis per year.
All research into new materials, methods and product development are also centered at Foza.

The finished product is transported to the Rigoni di Asiago warehouses at Albaredo d’Adige near Verona in North Italy. This final stage of the production line is fully automated and covers a total area of 25,000 sq m. The latest technology in cold-store rooms and automatic picking systems provides space for 5,500 pallets or 6 million jars.