Our partner companies

OUR PARTNER COMPANIES

Today, we are a group of farmers who directly cultivate, transform and distribute their products in Italy and around the world.
Our partner companies are:

CONAPI
FINOLIVA
LA CESENATE
ORYZA
COOP SIN FRONTERAS
LIBERA TERRA

CONAPI
CONAPI, Consorzio Apicoltori e Agricoltori Biologici Italiani or Cooperative of Italian Organic Beekeepers and Farmers, established in 1978, is the founding member of the Alce Nero & Mielizia group and is responsible for production of honey and other products of the hive as well as jams.

CONAPI is a national leader in the production of organic Italian honey and produces a wide variety, all of which come from the best terroirs in Italy. Today, there are more than 250 beekeepers that harvest honey across the country. They adhere to strict codes of production in order to guarantee optimum quality. Products include orange honey from Sicily and Calabria, chestnut honey from Tuscany, acacia honey from Piedmont and Lombardy, eucalyptus honey from the Ionian and Tirrenic coasts and more. In 2007, CONAPI produced 22,000 quintals of honey, 50% of which was organic. This represents 20% of the national production.

Honey and jams: the production processes

Our beekeepers bring the honey to the processing plant where it is inspected and then stored according to its botanical and geographical origin. In order to maintain the natural qualities of the product, the work is extremely delicate and careful: the honey is filtered, homogenized, transferred to jars and never exposed to temperatures higher than 100°F. This method (drastically different from what is used to make standard commercial honey, which is pasteurized at 175°F to 200°F) allows us to protect the nutritional components of the honey.

Exclusively organic fruit is used to make the jams. The processing plant is computer-operated and highly innovative; we use sous-vide cooking methods in order to maintain the original organoleptic, chemical-physical features of the fruit. No sugar is added to our jams; we only use organic honey and grape juice. Production capacity: 500 quintals/day.

Inspections:
• Technical care for our beekeepers provided by Internal Regulation.
• Direct inspections and controls within the bee companies.
• Preliminary evaluations are made before the product is processed, then during the production cycle and again on the final product.

CONAPI’s quality management system is certified under UNI EN ISO 9001:2000 and the environmental management system under UNI EN ISO 14001: 2004 in accordance with the regulation CE 761/2001(EMAS). The Mielizia line of honey has been granted the traceability certification in accordance with the norm UNI 10939: 2001.

FINOLIVA
Finoliva, established in 1999 and partner of the Alce Nero & Mielizia group, controls and processes the products of C.N.O members (National Olive Growers’ Cooperative).
The olives come from the regions of Tuscany, Liguria, Puglia and Calabria. The average production of CNO members is about 1,200,000 quintals per year, representing nearly 20% of national production.

Extra-virgin olive oil: the production processes
The olives are continuously processed; all phases are completed, without interruption, in a 24-hour period. After the first processing phase, various analyses are conducted in order to verify that the oil falls within the proper chemical and physical parameters. We check the oil’s organoleptic conformity through a series of panel tests. The production chain is monitored during each phase in order to guarantee the products’ quality and traceability. 
Packaging line capacity: 6,000 bottles/hour.

Inspections:
Finoliva is equipped with production structures and systems designed to guarantee optimum quality. Our quality analysis lab is characterized by advanced technology and is certified: UNI EN ISO 17025.

Other certifications:
• COI (International Oleic Council); acknowledgement of the tasting panel.
• The company management system is certified under UNI EN ISO 9001:00 and UNI EN ISO 14001:04.
• Certification for the production of DOP and organic oils.

LA CESENATE
La Cesenate Conserve Alimentari was established in 1949 in central Emilia-Romagna, an agricultural hub thanks to its soil quality, weather conditions and the farmers’ skills. Almost 60 years have passed, and today La Cesenate is a leading company in the sector of preserves and organic preserves. La Cesenate is a partner of Alce Nero & Mielizia SpA and is specialized in the production of pulped tomatoes, sauces and fruit juices. The raw materials are carefully selected by our agronomists who constantly support the farmers during all phases of production: from the planting to the harvest, they monitor the ripening of the fruit and highlight the most suitable techniques for the farmers.  
We grow tomatoes, peaches, pears and apricots on 600 hectares of land situated in the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Basilicata.

The production processes
Our production processes maintain the natural qualities of fruit and tomatoes by using advanced technologies based on the use of heat and cold. We have achieved a highly automated level of production, allowing for the quick processing of a large amount of items. We keep the freshness of the raw materials intact and strive to protect their organoleptic and nutritional properties. Only 12 hours separates the harvest from the processing phase. Raw materials are selected using optical sorters, first during the supply period and then again during the production process. The complete traceability of the product is guaranteed during all phases of production and processing.
Production capacity: 12.000 quintals/day.
LA CESENATE:  the union of innovation and tradition

ORYZA
Oryza, established in 1999 and partner of the Alce Nero & Mielizia group, cultivates 550 hectares of land in Piedmont in accordance with the standards of organic farming. Oryza produces a variety of rice, such as baldo, ribe, carnaroli, violone nano, arborio and originario. Nebbione is one of their most valuable varieties of rice, as it is aged for 12 months after harvest. During this time, the rice loses moisture, improves its organoleptic features, becomes more resistant to cooking, and maintains a high starch content, making it ideal for risotto.  

The rice: processing and production
After the harvest, the rice is dried at 125°F and then cooled, a process which reduces the amount of water in the grain. The rice grain encased in a rough, hard shell that is automatically eliminated during the hulling process. For white rice, the production method is “second degree” — it is less aggressive, which keeps the proteins, lipids and vitamins intact. Next, the rice undergoes a whitening phase, during which time the film covering the grain and the outer layer is removed, along with the germ and any fragments. During the last stage of processing, flour (a residue from previous stages of processing) is brushed off the surface of the grain. Finally, before packaging, the rice is inspected by an optical sorting machine that discards any grains with shape or color imperfections in order to offer the consumer the highest quality product possible.
Production capacity: 60.00 quintals/year.

Inspections
The rice mill carries out all analytic inspections required during the various processing phases in order to guarantee the nutritional value and overall quality of the product.
The production and packaging plant has a quality management system certified according to UNI EN ISO 9001: 2000 and an environment management system certified according to the regulation CE 761/2001.

COOP SIN FRONTERAS
Our relationship with Central and South American producers began in 1983 when we first began to work with a group of beekeepers from Nicaragua. Today, our commitment to organic and fair-trade production has spread thanks to the Sin Fronteras Association, which was established in 2003 with the mission of establishing a network of small producers from across the globe. Sin Fronteras allows partners from different countries to directly control the entire chain of production, from the cultivation of raw materials to their transformation and distribution.  

Today, the project involves more than 5,000 families of producers overseas who grow cane sugar, cacao, coffee, honey, tea, fruit and rice in accordance with the standards of organic farming. There is a mutual exchange between our Italian producers and those of Sin Fronteras regarding production techniques and improvement of production. The ultimate goal is to protect biodiversity and the authenticity of the various products.

LIBERA TERRA
Respecting nature, the producer and the consumer.
Several of the cooperatives that joined the Association Libera Terra and that cultivate the lands confiscated from the Mafia are also part of Alce Nero-Mielizia group.
The cooperatives “Placido Rizzotto” and “Lavoro e Non Solo” joined Libera Terra and are now members of CONAPI. They are supported by CONAPI as well as Slow Food in the cultivation of the land and the selection of techniques for productions and product improvement. These coops collaborate with Alce Nero & Mielizia in the phases of marketing, packaging and promotion.

The project
After having been abandoned for many years, the lands that once belonged to the Mafia were confiscated by the courts in accordance with the 109/1996 Italian State Law, and assigned to coops of youths. The acquisition of these lands opens the door for a brand-new project that, inspired by ethics and respect for people and the environment, creates new products and job opportunities.

Organic farming was the method of choice from the inception, and everything is completely hand-crafted in order to guarantee the best taste, authentic tradition and excellent quality.

The “Libera Terra” project (www.liberaterra.it) shows that what was once taken from the community by violence and the abuse of power CAN be given back to society and become an opportunity for clean and ethical development. 
The coops involved are located in Sicily, Calabria, Apulia and Lazio, are spreading to neighboring regions, too.