Alma Calliari:

A Hot August Afternoon – 2:00 p.m. The Ethical Banking film crew is once again on the road, this time visiting the organic farm of Alma Calliari in Auer on a sweltering 35°C summer day. Cheerful and full of energy, Alma greets us in her red delivery van and takes us out to her vegetable fields.
“When it gets this hot in the afternoon, we simply start working earlier in the morning,” Alma tells us with a smile.
Alma founded her organic farm in 2021. Since then, vegetables grown to garden-quality standards have been cultivated on approximately one hectare of leased land in Auer, Tramin and Neumarkt, on sites that were once apple orchards.
Building a farming business without existing infrastructure proved to be one of the greatest challenges for the young company. What many farmers take for granted became a real hurdle for Alma. Yet she embraces this challenge with a positive attitude, believing that “without challenges, there is no growth.”
Today, the farm produces a remarkable diversity of vegetables in accordance with the principles of organic agriculture. More than 50 vegetable crops and over 100 varieties are cultivated with great care and by hand. In addition to fresh produce, Alma has recently expanded her range to include processed products such as tomato sauces, chutneys and pickled vegetables. Small quantities of polenta are also produced on the farm.
The farm follows a true “zero-kilometre” marketing approach, supplying customers directly within the local area.
“Once a week, customers can collect a selection of fresh vegetables from my stand in Tramin, and from this year onwards also on Fridays at the farmers’ market in Neumarkt. Otherwise, the vegetables are available exclusively through a subscription scheme,” explains the resourceful young entrepreneur.
The subscription programme offers home delivery throughout the Unterland region or collection from a nursery located between Auer and Tramin. Customers can choose from three different sizes of mixed vegetable boxes, available for 30 weeks a year, from April to November.
“Interested customers can now register for the 2024 season via an online order form. This marketing model is based on the principle of solidarity and provides my farm with important planning and sales security,” says Alma Calliari.

The funded project

“The Ethical Banking loan enabled us to make the initial investments needed to establish our farm, including polytunnels, machinery, protective covers and crates for our vegetable subscription scheme”, says Alma.