The women in our family have been cultivating our land for three generations. My grandmother, Mrs. Rosa Egger, a farmer in Lana, bought in the 1960s a contiguous plot of almost 4 hectares of orchards in the municipality of Tschars. At that time, the meadow was planted with the apple varieties Morgenduft and Champagner. Through inheritance, the land then passed on to her two daughters, and since 2003 I have been managing this area. It is precisely this tradition of “women’s power” that fills me with joy. I am convinced that women have a special connection to land, to nature, and to its rhythms.

The “Schweigl” meadow, as it is called by its field name, consists of a continuous area and is therefore very well suited for organic farming. For me, a successful fruit growing is one that respects nature as “Mother Earth” and manages the entrusted soil with responsibility and sustainability.

In 2017, I decided to convert to organic farming. Already in the spring of 2018, I sowed flower strips in the driveways of my new Bonita plantation and was delighted by the colorful display of flowers, insects, and bees. Fertilization with cattle manure, which I source locally from another farmer, I also see as a beautiful regional cycle. New ideas and old traditional perspectives find space together in organic farming. For me, organic farming brings both joy and meaning directly into the orchard. It is a rewarding challenge to produce good and healthy fruit through organic methods. In the coming years, the task will be to select the apple varieties that thrive best in organic cultivation.

For me, organic stands for future, responsibility, diversity, and sustainability – in the sense of treating the entrusted soil with care.