The Client

Da Vittorio is one of the most renowned Italian restaurants: tristellato, has entered the prestigious Michelin Red Guide. Located in the province of Bergamo, on a ten-hectare estate nestled in the green hills of Cantalupa di Brusaporto, it offers menus created from raw materials of the highest standard.

Expressing the philosophy of Cerea brothers, historical faces of the restaurant, the motto: “Lombard tradition and creative genius” which is realized – as stated on the website – in the choice of innovative techniques for preparing dishes, in the Absolute rigor in the handling of products and to the In-depth knowledge of raw materials.

Its requirements

Identify a sustainable solution to optimize food production, avoiding waste, to achieve an innovative catering model, capable of respecting the environment while enhancing the taste of the dishes: this is the requirement of the Da Vittorio Group than in 2020, during the pandemic, by launching an appeal to other businesses in order to collect products needed to cook meals for health care personnel and volunteers involved in health care.

On this occasion, chefs Enrico and Roberto Cerea were impressed by a basil completely different from the others for its characteristics. To produce it Planet Farms, a company with operational headquarters in Cavenago that specializes in the development of vertical farms. This was the beginning of the collaboration that, a few years later, led to the construction of the vertical farm in Da Vittorio’s garden in Brusaporto.

SIAD’s intervention.

The successful operation of vertical cultivation relies on the creation of a protected environment, a temperature- and humidity-controlled atmosphere, enriched with carbon dioxide. By increasing the content of CO₂ concentration in indoor cultivation, above what is the normal threshold in the air, we get different results, both in terms of quantity and quality.

First, production can increase up to 40%, depending on the vegetable. Secondly, the following are encountered superior homogeneity in terms of size and color, as well as greater resistance to weather stresses (excessive heat, drought, less light, …). In addition, going into further detail, in vegetables is found a Increased weight and number of fruits.

In this project, SIAD provides CO₂ from a biogenic source, That is, obtained from the recovery of agricultural waste or from the biogas supply chain. More generally, in the field of indoor cultivation, it offers a series of consulting services For the proper application of the carbonic fertilization technique. First of all, the evaluation of energy consumption, often related to greenhouse size and crop type, including a series of preventive tests to concretely assess the amounts of CO₂ needed in the specific case and, consequently, the most appropriate technology.

For details, please read the in-depth article Carbonic fertilization: the role of CO₂ in indoor cultivation.

The results obtained

Starting today, Da Vittorio has available materials at zero meter obtained, directly in its own garden, with sustainable and optimized processes. The vertical’s software constantly checks all parameters inside the growing chambers (temperature, humidity, nutrient solution recipe, light intensity, quality of seeds, substrates, air and water).

Growth occurs in a pristine environment, in the absence of microorganisms, without the use of pesticides. It is used 95% less water needed in a traditional crop and there is no consumption of soil, replaced by an organic substrate, composed of waste plant material, previously analyzed to exclude the presence of contaminants. The lighting is also optimized, to minimize any consumption.

And into the kitchen of starred chefs come–directly from the garden--basilica, salads, sprouts, herbs and other vegetables with the highest organoleptic qualities and intense flavor.