Our history
In the 1976 Luigi Cavaliere, recently graduated from the agricultural technical institute, joins his father Alfonso in running the small family farm, first starting to imagine and then implementing ideas to renew agricultural production systems.
From the very beginning of its entrepreneurial initiatives, respect for the environment was considered one conditio sine qua non of each project.
In the 1977 the nursery activity starts, initially dedicated exclusively to its own farm. Soon however, the new concept of transplanting vegetables stimulated the very young Luigi to offer it to other farmers.
From the 1980 onwards the nursery business took off, until it conquered customers in all the southern regions and also in some macro-areas of northern Italy such as the Po Valley or Tuscany, also going into commercial operations outside the national territory in Spain and Greece.
Only in 1985 nursery companies started to appear throughout the peninsula, contributing to spreading the technique of transplanting vegetables grown in polystyrene cells in every corner of the country, in this phase the Cavaliere company is dedicated to another extraordinary project, the creation of a genetic research division, involving Italian and foreign researchers of great professional profile, with the pride of having involved a professional excellence of the calibre of Professor Leopoldo Bergamini of Piacenza.
The objective of the research was to build varietals in the tomato sector that would maintain and enhance the organoleptic qualities of this fruit, to preserve and offer consumers the best nutritional quality, an objective that was achieved with many sacrifices. Today maintaining our innovative project is achieved through care and constant renewal. This is the core of the recipes of our organic tomato preserves. The company is the only one in the world to have a tomato varietal containing three times the lycopene content of the best tomatoes on the market. We believe that for the conservation of the environmental landscape of the soil and of the other natural components that make up our ecosystem, there is a need for a strong environmental awareness, which must guide the choices of every wise and ethical entrepreneur.
In 1990 we become part of the APOPA association (association of Neapolitan fruit and vegetable producers), one of the largest and most organized association of producers in southern Italy, thus increasing the power of persuasion towards other farmers.In 1995 we started the production and marketing of fruit and vegetables. The company is structured for the marketing of fruit and vegetables, especially lemons, oranges and clementines, also beyond the national border, especially supplying customers in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In 2000 the company takes its first steps in the tomato and extra virgin olive oil preservation sector, starting to create special organic tomato preserves and an excellent extra virgin olive oil.
In 2010 trough the partnership with the well-known entrepreneur Eng. Pierluigi Tortora of Cesena and his group, PLT energia S.p.a., a 1 megawatt photovoltaic system was built within the company perimeter and in 2012 a biogas plant fuelled by vegetable biomass, also of 1 megawatt. All this is perfectly in line with the decision to always take the side of environmental protection. Today the company tries to offer its energies and its best products to consumers. Those who choose Le Tenute Del Cavaliere choose competence, passion, the daily commitment to improve themselves, respect for biodiversity and the simplicity of genuine things. A production chain based on the principle of safeguarding and, at times, restoring biodiversity.
It is necessary to raise awareness and involve consumers, because only thanks to sharing can an important project really be carried out.