Name: Placido
Rizzotto Cooperativa Sociale Libera Terra (Placido Rizzotto Free Soil
Social Cooperative)
Country: Italy
Principal Product: Pasta, wine
Description: The
"Placido Rizzotto - Libera Terra" social cooperative came into being in
2001 and was established by 14 unemployed youths living in Palermo, the
capital of Sicily, Italy. They were interested in working land that was
confiscated from the mafia, transforming these properties into a source
of jobs and wealth, correcting thus the culture of wasted lives
organized by the mafia.
The cooperative is called Placido
Rizzotto in homage to a union leader from the city of Corleone who was
murdered by the mafia immediately after World War II.
The
cooperative produces different pastas, tomato sauces, olive oil, and
juices that are marketed throughout the country. All of the production
is organic.
The cooperative was born as a broader project called
“Libera Terra”, which aspires to revert the culture of easy living and
crime for one of honest and lawful work.
