We’ve been quiet lately but that’s just because we’ve been so busy!!
Here are the main things going on right now with Rovira (as well as many MANY other things going on in our lives like Youth Exchanges, children finishing primary school, moving out of Barcelona, and running the volunteering projects!!!)
The Vineyard.. of course everyone really wants to know: Are you going to produce wine this year? Well Anna, Nick, the team at the last Regenerative Weekend, and some participants in the Youth Exchange have been chopping and strimming to clear the areas around the vines. There are PLENTY of grapes growing and we want to make sure they stay healthy and fungus free until the harvest. We’ve also opened conversations with our winemaker Mike at Artesano Vintners. So the answer is YES, and we are aiming for better wine and more bottles than in 2022.
The Communication… We had a meeting this week with the full communication team!! We are now working with Pedro and Maru (Chain Chain) who are professionals in graphic design and marketing. We also have a new volunteer Robin in Barcelona spending time each week on communication and Angela and myself are doing all we can in this area too. So expect to see more about us online and there’ll be plenty of material to share to get more and more visitors out in the valley!
The Financing... Our options at the moment are with the Fondos Nucleares, but there’s still no open call for agriculture projects. A line of funding called 30+ which could be excellent for someone who is currently on the paro and wants to be our farmer. We also fit very well with Leader which is open in October. But the most exciting and jazzy option is the Open Value Foundation – thanks to some incredibly intense days by Anna, and some very well timed support by Priya, Carol and Guy, we got a detailed business plan together and sent our application last Monday… we hope to hear from them soon, and may be up on stage presenting our pitch after Summer!!
The Agroforestry Design.. After most guests had left the last Regenerative weekend we sat down with a whiteboard and some great minds .. seed savers, permaculturalists, natural farmers, food producers from even harsher climates than ours… and we discussed the future implementations in the vineyard. The first step is the hydrological design, but we now have some clear steps for the planting plan and activities we can do after the grape harvest – see the images below!
The next event!!!! 16/17 August –
Come for a Regenerative Weekend and visit the valley, get some hands on experience in the cool morning calm, learn about what we’re doing.. and enjoy river swimming, nature connection and dinner under the stars!!! Send us your info here, then we’ll tell you what to pack, where to meet up, and you can come for a beautiful experience with wonderful people!
