From our 3-hectare mulberry grove we collect precious leaves, the exclusive nourishment for the breeding of silkworms. The peculiarity of mulberry leaves lies in the fact that they are the only food that the silkworms eat. We are the leader of the Serinnovation project, an Operational Group that works in synergy for the reintroduction of Silk and to develop additional sources of income for farms. We are also part of a network of agricultural companies committed to an all-Italian ethical silk supply chain. The Italian Ethical Silk that enhances and innovates an ancient art that reaches the present day from Marco Polo. The Silk of Il Brolo became Art at MOMA in NEW YORK 2020 with the artist Neri Oxman The Brolo is also implementing an experimental Gelseto, that is a sixth of a different plant, with very narrow and close rows, with a high density of plants per hectare. The aim is a future mechanized harvest. We are working on the development of a prototype for the mechanization of mulberry branch harvesting. The choice comes from our desire for innovation and territoriality. In collaboration with the research institutes CREA and the University of Padua, we are experimenting with the cultivation of mulberry trees and the breeding of silkworms for an Ethical and Quality Supply Chain. An exclusive product with a Double Value.
Sericulture
A mulberry field of 3 ha
“An organic architectural work composed of single silk threads that does not impose itself on the environment but creates it”
Until the 1950s, Italy was a world leader in the production of silk
In the 60s the pesticides introduced polluted the mulberry trees all over Italy and the worms stop producing the precious yarn
Since 2017, Il Brolo is the leader of Serrinovation, the Operational Group for the reintroduction of mulberry field
Today the mulberry is the most precious and sensitive indicator of environmental health
Partnership with Il Brolo
Brolo is the leader of an PEI-AGRI PSR 16.1 SERINNOVATION Operating Group in collaboration with CREA which is experimenting with eco-sustainable models for the reintroduction of silkworm breeding. Italy was a world leader until the postwar period, then the introduction of pesticides and the low cost of Chinese labor eliminated this excellence. The breeding of the Baco requires care and constancy, the mulberry leaves it feeds on must be fresh and without pollutants, otherwise the precious result will be compromised. In a few weeks the worm, eating it, grows and forms the wonderful silk cocoon.
When silkworms spin Italian silk for MoMA in New York …
“The most futuristic building in New York was not made by humans. Oxman’s facility aims to demonstrate a new approach to construction in which humans interact with natural systems ”. J. Keats The Brolo, in its buildings and environments, has experimented, under the guidance of CREA, with innovative techniques and tools for the construction of an artistic and architectural installation in silk, the Silk Pavillon II. The exhibition “Neri Oxman: Material Ecology” was inaugurated at the MoMA in New York, and among the works the most impressive of the silk installations was exhibited. The result of the new design and production processes with the SILK BACO experimented by Il Brolo respecting the times, the peculiarities and the “creativity” of nature. The architecture consists of a primary structure of polygonal panels made with silk threads fixed by a numerically controlled machine. In it, silkworms were spun, which created a flat secondary structure, with different densities, working as a sort of ‘biological printer’. Due to its extraordinary characteristics, the silkworm is part of a new philosophy of creating the world around us: by weaving its silk it can even be “guided” in the construction of artistic and architectural installations. For us it was the result of a very demanding challenge, but which brought great satisfaction, now the challenge passes from art to everyday life
