The history of Acetaia Guerzoni begins in the early
1970s, when Arduino and Zina Guerzoni, after many years of working as sharecroppers in the north countryside of Modena, used their life savings and purchased an old farmhouse surrounded by rows of grape vine plants.
Our history
Three generations of love for the land and its fruits
Ours is a story of three generations of Modena’s farmers who over time have developed a clear vision of the close link between man, nature and the animal kingdom, considered as a single balanced system. A philosophy that still inspires the activity of Acetaia Guerzoni today, the only one in the world to be certified organic and biodynamic, a record of which we are proud and a point from which we look to the future with confidence and responsibility.
The 1970s
The 80s
Felice Guerzoni, son of Arduino and Zina, soon joined his parents in managing the grape farm. Together with his wife Iride, he starts the progressive conversion of the vineyards towards an organic and biodynamic cultivation method. Although the association for Italian biodynamic agriculture was founded mmediately after the Second World War, biodynamics at that time still almost unknown, while the first regulation for organic self-discipline was drawn up in 1985, a year after the Guerzoni family obtained biodynamic certification from Demeter, today the most authoritative biodynamic certification body in the world. Already in 1981, the Guerzonis were among the founders of the La Farnia cultural association, committed to divulging and training on biodynamic agriculture, to the point of creating, in 2004, the Le Madri Foundation, still a point of reference at a national level.
The harvests of the first years are meager but soon the deep respect for nature, the love for the land and the dedication to work bear fruit. In the same years, the production and marketing of grape must and saba (cooked must) began, together with the practice of preserving the unsold product inside wooden barrels from which, when appropriately aged, it would be transformed into Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena P.D.O.
The 90s
If initially it had been difficult to make our products appreciated outside the circuit of agricultural markets sensitive to the organic and biodynamic philosophy, the 1990s marked a rapid increase in turnover. In parallel with the slow but constant consolidation of an attentive sensitivity to organic values, Acetaia Guerzoni expands and diversifies the cultivated grape varieties according to biodynamic principles. In the over 100 thousand square
meters of rows of vines, Lambrusco Salamino, Uva d'Oro, Ancellotta, Trebbiano and various other native species are grown: a particularly fruitful biodiversity because it attracts useful insects and animals and because it prevents the soil from impoverishing, as instead happens with monocultures. In those years, Iride usually exhibits two clods of earth at the fairs in which Acetaia Guerzoni participates: one coming from the company's land and one from a nearby land, different in consistency, color and vitality.
The 2000s
Always focused on traditional wine vinegar, at the
beginning of the new millennium the company also began producing Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, both in the P.G.I. version and in the traditional P.D.O.
At the same time, Acetaia Guerzoni progressively expands its commercial network, now extended to over 40 countries. It is equipped with a modern and efficient production structure in addition to the historic vinegar factory, still dedicated to the production of Traditional
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena P.D.O.
The 10s
Lorenzo, nephew of Arduino and Zina, takes over the lead of Acetaia Guerzoni.
From Mum Iride he learned to go among people to tell
the unique story of his company; from dad Felice, he learned the love for the land, the joy of seeing the bunches of grapes grow and ripen and the patience to let the vinegar, as it ages, mature its unmistakable flavour. The 2012 earthquake caused considerable damage to the structures of the farm but the Guerzoni family proved to be united and endowed with a great spirit of resilience, and in a short time it was back in operation and once again focused on the taste and quality of its products.
Today
The world changes with impressive speed and Acetaia Guerzoni's offer also changes. Today, new condiments are added to traditional products that blend tradition and experimentation, with a view to contamination of flavors and gastronomic customs. Innovating does not
mean distorting what has been, and only those who are well rooted in their values can open up to the future and to change without fear. A glass bottle designed specifically for Acetaia Guerzoni by the artist Fabrizio Loschi celebrates this fusion of tradition, innovation and sustainability: in fact, neither the crown cap nor the supplied measuring cap contain plastic.
