In Jesolo, amongst workshops, performances and tastings, the Agrifestival for NaturaSì’s 40th anniversary focused on the connection between ethics and business: steward ownership, which we might call “responsible ownership,” ties the fate of businesses to shared values instead of speculative interests.
According to analysis by Purpose, an international firm that accompanies companies on this journey, today at least 200 large companies worldwide, from Germany to Scandinavian countries, have adopted the Steward Ownership model with documented benefits: greater resilience to crises, stable profits, fairer wages and a protected generational transition.
Jesolo, Italian showcase of a new model
It is in this context that the NaturaSì Agrifestival offered the public not only a celebration of organic food with its 5,000 visitors and 80 exhibitors, but a concrete account of how Steward Ownership works. NaturaSì does not belong to an entrepreneur or a family, nor is it a traditional cooperative: the majority of shares belong to a foundation that decides how to reinvest profits whilst protecting mission and values: the Free Anthroposophical Rudolf Steiner Foundation supports schools and biodynamic farms, such as San Michele di Cortellazzo, a model farm that experiments with soil fertility, biodiversity and animal welfare, making the results available to the entire agricultural network connected to NaturaSì.
“We adopted a Steward Ownership model from the very beginning, although we were not aware of it. Only later did we call it by its name. When we founded the company, we wanted the ownership not to be private, in the hands of individuals, but of a non-profit to protect values such as healthy food, organic and biodynamic farming, and respect for the environment, farmers and consumers. The members and the board of directors serve this purpose,” explains Fabio Brescacin, president of NaturaSì.
NaturaSì is not alone. Another Italian company that has taken the same path is Almo Nature, with the Capellino Foundation. Piergiovanni Capellino explained: “In the company at a certain point we realised that as humans we had to take a step back: we had to put the company in the hands of a purpose. The Foundation owns everything, and the proceeds are used for what we call the Reintegration Economy: giving back to biodiversity the profit generated by the work. Allocating millions to projects like creating ecological corridors between the Yukon and Yellowstone Park, renaturalising a tributary of the Danube.”
Growing organic
Jesolo’s message is intertwined with the fast-growing numbers in the organic sector. NaturaSì is now a group of 330 stores, 300 connected farms and 1,200 employees. In the first half of 2025, sales and customers grew by 7.6 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively, whilst loyalty reached 69 per cent.
The national picture also confirms the trend: organic agricultural areas exceeded 2.5 million hectares, more than 20 percent of Italy’s UAA, one of the highest percentages in Europe. The number of operators reached 97,170 (+2.9% over 2023), with more than 87,000 organic farms.
