Alzira goes far beyond a premium cachaça

Article published in RG Magazine on September 18, 2021 – Text: Carol Hungria

This week I attended a press conference for the launch of the premium cachaça Alzira, but it was not only its smooth flavor that fascinated me. I am the daughter of agronomists, and I saw in the eyes (and heart) of Gustavo Della Colletta and his wife, Célia, the passion for the land, for the care with the production of their product, and also for the social good around the population of Torrinha, a municipality in the state of São Paulo, where Fazenda Basalto is located.

In sugar cane cultivation, the distillery uses only natural inputs, and at no stage does it use chemical substances such as pesticides. The focus is on organic and biodynamic practices, without the use of agrochemicals. The couple also demonstrates their concern for nature, by adopting sustainable cultivation practices, in which the property is connected with the environment and society.

The farm is inside a legal reserve, with bamboo bushes, citrus groves, and animals. In production, sugar cane straw bales are used to generate energy in the boiler burnings, while the sugar cane bagasse and vinasse are used to generate fertilizer. Electricity is generated with solar panels fixed on top of the distillery. Furthermore, most of the distillery vehicles are powered by alcohol produced through the redistillation of the head and tail discarded in the cachaça production process.

Social responsibility actions are also on the agenda, such as the NGO they created, which already provides education to approximately 20 children in the region. One of the achievements includes the sponsorship of the Brazilian ballet dancer Letícia Cappa, who is in Spain at the Barcelona Dance Center. The farm also employs local workforce and practices fair remuneration.

After the citizenship class I had at this meeting, I can say that, when it comes to cachaça, it has to be Alzira!

Link to the original published article (same content in Portuguese)