Ortofficina

Nestled in the hills of Bologna is the farm Ortofficina, the heart of Oway.

Across this magnificent landscape, biodynamic farming methods are used to cultivate and harvest medicinal herbs. Distilled locally, these herbs are key ingredients in Organic Way products.

Ortofficina is not only a farm, but also an experience of harmony with nature of human health and well being, and respect for our planet.It is an essential part of our culture and process, it is how we ensure that we know the provenance, and ensure every step of our production process is managed by us. Ortofficina covers over 50,000 sq m, which applies the bio-dynamic method, where medicinal herbs are grown.

The deep bond with nature and the complete respect of its rhythms lead us to put an end to the use of synthetic mineral fertilizers and chemical pesticides and to manage the land following the cosmic and lunar cycles, based on an astronomical calendar. We grow, harvest and distill 12 different types of medicinal plants directly.Thyme, sage, lavender and rosemary are our extensive crops. A part of our 0 mile, essential oils, distillates and micronized extracts originate from these medicinal herbs.

What is biodynamic?

Rudolf Steiner, founder of Steiner medicine and Waldorf education, gave life to biodynamics in 1924 – he wanted to set farmers free from chemical products in fertilization and plant protection.

The biodynamic agriculture movement, successfully spread today throughout the world, works to guarantee the decontamination of the Earth and the renewal of agriculture, according to these objectives:

  • keep the land fertile from one cultivation to the next
  • keep plants healthy without using any chemical substances
  • produce ingredients rich in active ingredients and nutrients

The farm as a an ecosystem

According to the biodynamic method, the farm is perceived as a living organic unit, where several other organisms that make it up (forest, meadow, fields, garden, animals, plants, hedges, fruit trees, useful insects, compost pile, humus, earthworms) work in harmony, vivifying it through their different ecological functions and making the system dynamic and productive.

The farmer has a role of great responsibility, as spiritual principle who orders and organizes the entire activity of the system.

His action must be based on the knowledge of all the requirements of the farm organism (climate, annual precipitation, exposure to the sun, soil, local population, etc.), on the daily observation of the interaction between all the living beings present and on the consideration of the close dialogue that exists between the earth and the cosmos.