Agricoopecetto-an-agricultural-cooperative.

Agricoopecetto is an agricultural cooperative created by 3 young entrepreneurs of Pecetto Torinese (a small Municipality in the province of Turin), whose enterprises are about 200 mt. one from the other along the same street.

Today the cooperative has 18 associated producers of quality products of the territory and some of them are even officially recognized as “typical products” by the Province of Turin. It has a store and 2 equipped laboratories for transformation in Pecetto. There they produce typical traditional starters, sauces, jams, salads, vegetables and ready-made soups from local products.

The peculiarity of Agricoopecetto, a part from associating enterprises promoting eco-compatible agriculture and short distribution chain, is to practice a multifunctional agriculture. Each associated brings with him/her his/her own experience and this permitted to enlarge the services offered by the cooperative:

- Production of vegetables and fruits;

- Transformation of products, also for third parties;

- Direct selling (in store, shops, trough Internet, with organized buyers groups);

- Educational farm, as Agricoopecetto is accredited as “educational farm” by Piedmont Region. They offer agro-education for supporting teachers in schools and interested groups (tourism, older people, disable persons) both on a specific topic that on articulated paths with several professionals (cattle breeder, beekeeper, farmer…). They have also been chosen as lead partner for an educational pilot project promoted by Piedmont Region;

- Organization of events, included agri-dinners, agri-anniversaries, food and wine tasting;

- Social agriculture, i.e. recreational activities, educational activities, job inclusion of disadvantaged people.

At the moment, they work at the cooperative:

- A guy with a certified disability of 74% who is responsible for a biological garden and who is specializing in the production of ornamental and eatable pumpkins. For him has been purchased a machinery who will permit him to autonomously produce jams (Agricoopecetto line “bio-social”);

- A Nigerian girl with a paid internship. At the end of the internship, she will be employed.

In December they will start a traineeship with a psychic disable. Furthermore, they collaborate with some social centres of the territory and they offer them for free spaces, camps, orchards and facilities to spend a day in the countryside.