Welcome to Malbosca, a strawberry success story

The aim of this company is find the right strategy to produce strawberries for about eight months per year

Paola Visigalli is only 34 years old, and after working for a few years as a top manager, she has now reinvented herself becoming a strawberry expert and producer.

The reason why she decided to suddenly abandon her old life was this strong feeling of “going back to the origins” and turning her life upside down. Paola and his brother Emanuele wanted to start a new business and they wanted it to be innovative. That’s why they founded the agricultural complex “Malbosca” in Rivazzano Terme, near Pavia, where they produce high quality strawberries.

Paola Visigalli’s plant covers nearly 1,800 square meters and hosts about 14,300 different plants, among which we can find Albion, Charlotte, Cjiose, Monterey and Portola. The reason why so many varieties have been tested is linked to the need to understand which quality of strawberries can better adapt to local climate and be welcomed by the market.

Paola’s company is currently growing strawberries with a special technique called “fuori suolo”, soilless. This technique was chosen for two reasons. First, “Malbosca” land was not suitable for “in the ground cultivation”. Second, this technique is crucial for distributing “healthy and clean strawberries”. Indeed, it does not involve any use of herbicides and pesticides.

In order to avoid bugs from destroying these pesticides-free plants, Paola Visigalli counts on the help of what she calls “good bugs”. They are insects that can attack pests without damaging plants. Phytoseiulus persimilis and Orius laevigatus are usually allowed to “access” strawberry plants in spring, to save them from “bad” insects.

The aim of this company is find the right strategy to produce strawberries for about eight months per year, in order to allow these delicate plants to rest in winter. Most of consumers say that it is more and more difficult to buy scented and fragrant strawberries, and Paola Visigalli is trying her best to give them what they are looking for. Feedbacks from the market are already good. They all highlight how impressive Malbosca’s strawberriescolours, texture and aroma are.