Pasquale Forte

Today we have the possibility to realise this dream of progress. We are facing an epochal turning point, a revolution in technique and thought, where the point of arrival will be an entirely different society from the one we know today.
Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, self-driving cars and clean energy are just some of the aspects of this extraordinary evolutionary process. Only if we are capable to renew ourselves, adapt quickly to change and adhere to solid values, we will be able to be part of this exciting scenario. This is a challenge that Eldor must face while keeping its values ​​intact; no organisation can possibly survive without a sound value base. Economy and ethics cannot exist without the other, and only when placed side by side are they able to change the world. Economy without ethics creates monsters, and ethics without economy adds no value to reality.

We need to believe we can, only then we will be able to see.

I owe the values, ​​in which I believe, to my peasant origins as I spent my childhood in Calabria, where my parents owned some land, vines and olive trees. I have thus always felt an irresistible attraction to the soil, to the agricultural dimension. Twenty years ago I began to cultivate the dream of taking care of a plot of land, and found a favorable spot which had long since been abandoned. Today that land bears the name of Podere Forte.

Podere Forte is an estate in Val D'Orcia, Tuscany, where the products are grown using biodynamic techniques . It covers an area of ​​380 hectares and is a multi-functional farm where man, plants and animals all contribute to achieve an integrated, self-sufficient and sustainable macrocosm. Vineyards, olive groves, woods, pastures, arable land and gardens represent the exclusive wealth of the farm, which is distilled in the production of wines, extra-virgin olive oil, honey and wheat. In the fields we breed, in semi-wild state, varieties of animals such as Sienese pigs, Chianina cows and Suffolk sheep. We work the land in the same way as we did 2,000 years ago, while in the wine cellars we are 200 years ahead of our time.

The winery is the productive heart of Podere Forte. Built on five floors, of which only two are entirely above ground, the structure allows gravity to take its course and everything flows thanks to the wells that connect the different levels. Inside, the analysis laboratory is the scientific nerve centre of the company, which examines raw materials and transformation materials, provides data in real time and collaborates with important research institutes.

Each and every one of my entrepreneurial activities began with a dream, a vision that I continue to pursue until what I had imagined, believed in before seeing it, comes true. Without dreams no entrepreneurs, thinkers, economists, philosophers would exist. But at the base of everything there must be values, those that characterize the DNA of the company and determine its prosperity.”