IRIS is a Italian agricultural cooperative located in the province of Cremona, north of Parma. From its inception in 1978, 9 young pioneers of organic farming wished to experiment with self-management. They rented some land to grow fruit and vegetables together for self-subsistence and direct sale.

Today, the cooperative positions itself as a real producer of pasta made from flour from the cereals of its producer members.

It comprises about 100 farmers from 11 Italian regions who are part of the IRIS organic sector. They are producers of cereals, fresh and dried vegetables, corn, barley, buckwheat, spelt, and rice, and they also grow old hard wheat, such as the "Senatore Capelli" variety, which is more digestible, and rich in fibre, trace elements and proteins.

They are linked to IRIS by a non-exclusive contract, disconnected from the world market, guaranteeing them a fair price, technical support on yields and crop diversification, and organic quality control.

The IRIS Cooperative is an important player in the Social and Solidarity Economy in Italy. In order to promote a direct link with consumers, IRIS markets its products in buying group consortia (GAS), organic shops and small boutiques in the country. It does not sell its products in supermarkets.

For more info: www.irisbio.com/