La Guardiense is located in Guardia Sanframondi, a town in the province of Benevento, in a district called “Contrada Santa Lucia” which is a very peculiar area in Southern Italy. Geographically we are in Campania, but our real identity lies more in our historical and cultural background rather than in our geographical location.
We are in the land of the Samnites, in an undulating and hilly area, where you can experience neither extremely hot nor extreme cold, thanks to its particular microclimate.
The Matese mountains protect the whole area and separate it from the Molise, while the Taburno mountains separate it from Naples.
The citizens of Guardia Sanframondi, tireless and tenacious, have been living in this land for generations, combining individual and common skills. Their common commitment once called common mission, is able to give extraordinary results. La Guardiense is the perfect example of this, with its over 50-year history.
The Farming Cooperative La Guardians, one of the biggest in Italy, was founded in 1960 by 33 farsighted and courageous pioneers. Nowadays, about one thousand vine-growers members are part of it.
These vine-growers cultivate and manage directly around 1.500 hectares of vineyards (with an average of two hectares per member), which are located on hilly lands, at an average altitude of about 350 meters a.s.l. The cooperative is able to produce about 20.000 tons of grapes every year.
The numbers themselves cannot give the idea of how important this winery is for the local area. The Cooperative has been directed, through 5 decades, by only 3 Presidents and has constantly been able to change and renew itself according to the passing of time and the market changes. It became a symbol of technological progress for the entire province of Benevento and it has always been able to combine experience and modernity.
www.laguardiense.it
