Sasso Morelli (Imola), September 2024 - On Saturday, September 14, the special evening dedicated to the presentation of the "100% Italian Award" was held at Villa La Babina, headquarters of the Management Center CLAI,. Through this prestigious award, now in its seventh edition, CLAI is in fact a spokesman for the enhancement of Italian heritage and traditions by celebrating a personality or a company that has distinguished itself for its commitment to the promotion of culture, work and solidarity. This year's winner was the Ortika community cooperative, which through the reintroduction of black nettle cultivation in the Cimone Mountains and the production of yarns, clothing and cosmetics, is helping to keep alive the textile history of Fanano, the Modenese village that lies within the regional park of the Upper Apennines of Modena.
The event presented by Gabriella Pirazzini and introduced by President CLAI Giovanni Bettini, also included the exclusive presence and greetings of Irene Priolo, Interim President of the Emilia Romagna Region, and Maurizio Gardini, National President of Confcooperative and Marco Panieri, Mayor of Imola.
The awards ceremony was held at the end of a dinner reserved for the guests in attendance. Also on the stage were the new Director CLAI, Stefano Giubertoni and Fabrizio Castellari, Deputy Mayor and Councillor for School, Budget, Organization of the Municipality of Imola, who addressed a very brief greeting. President Bettini, motivated the award as follows, "We are extraordinarily pleased to be able to enhance, through the 100% Italian Award, really special people or business realities of the national territory. Ortika not only has the merit of having brought back to life, by innovating it, the ancient vocation of nettle harvesting and processing, but has been able to create social, environmental and economic value in an area at great risk of depopulation. It is precisely companies and cooperatives such as the one founded by Luisa Ciocci - which I consider to be small great architraves of Made in Italy - that create the conditions for young and old to cultivate hopes for change and development within small communities. For us at CLAI, accustomed to working every day with passion and enthusiasm even for the welfare of the territory, it is essential that the commitment of realities such as Ortika is properly told and celebrated so that it can turn into an example for others."
Upon receiving the award Luisa Ciocci, founder of the Ortika Community Cooperative commented, "We are honored to receive the 100% Italian Award. To see that the commitment and passion we put into our work has been noticed and recognized really touches the heart. The attention paid to small realities, like ours, that try every day to leave a positive footprint on the planet turns into further motivation to continue the path we have taken with growing enthusiasm. We call ourselves an Italian company, visionary and revolutionary. We work to re-weave an entire economic system on the lands of the Upper Apennines, starting with the humblest of plants, the nettle. The process begins with the cultivation of the raw material and ends with the sale of the products, adopting a virtuous, ethical and eco-sustainable system in every respect."
Following this was a fashion show featuring the splendid clothes made from nettle fiber, where patience, care and research come together to dress the world in innovative and sustainable garments.
The evening ended with a floral tribute to Mrs. Ciocci of Ortika, journalist and host of the evening Gabriella Pirazzini and Sofia Cavalli, captain of Clai Imola Volleyball, which after 20 years rediscovers the Serie A, thanks to a truly dominant season.
