It Takes a Village: Summer Camp Underscores Fontanafredda’s People-First Ethos

As fall quickly approaches and the frenetic pace of northern hemisphere harvest sets in, Barolo icon Fontanafredda has wound down another successful session of their annual children’s summer camp — just one of the many perks they offer employees.

The free camp is part of a much broader, generations-long tradition that prioritizes worker wellbeing, which began in 1878.

Back then, the estate belonged to Count Emanuele Alberto of Mirafiori, son of King Vittorio Emanuele II (who founded Fontanafredda and its accompanying village in 1858). Widely known as a deeply empathetic man, the Count spent his evenings reading aloud to those in his employ who did not know how to read. He also insisted on paying his entire staff a fair salary, along with specialized retirement plans — socially conscious moves which were all but unheard of at the time for vineyard/farm workers.

The Count didn’t stop at fair wages, either. He was building something bigger, unique, and seriously future-forward.

With the village built by his father decades earlier serving as an anchor, the Count created a sort of micro-society for his workers, offering them everything from modern housing to a community oven for bread baking. He also launched the Centro Ricreativo Aziendale Lavoratori — il CRAL, as they still call it, a social club devoted to enriching employee life through all manner of group activities including group dinners, excursions, and cultural visits.

As for the aforementioned summer camp, Fontanafredda recruits educators already working in the local schools to guide/supervise the activities. And this year’s schedule was an exciting one. Activities included an educator-guided truffle hunt (complete with truffle-sniffing dogs), a first-ever manga drawing course (an expert portrait artist explained the basics of the popular Japanese drawing style), a mini cooking workshop, an ecology day (where the children were introduced to basic “green” habits and principles), a themed treasure hunt, and water games. Parents were also invited to join together in an aperitivo hour.

“This [program] highlights how much the company cares about its employees,” says Emilia Badellino, of the Fontanafredda marketing team. “We provide them with a company canteen and extra leave for caregivers but above all, we offer a summer camp for the employees' children. The summer camp is a flagship for Fontanafredda.”

At its peak, Fontanafredda’s Villagio Narrante was home to 130 people, all employed by the winery. In fact, generations of entire families have lived and worked at Fontanafredda since the 1870s — today, 15 families still call it home.

This proud tradition of placing people and community first remains a core tenet of Fontanafredda’s modern-day manifesto — an ethos built around the themes of hope, trust, courage, optimism, perseverance, luck, gratitude, pride, harmony, and enjoyment.

These ideas are so central to Fontanafredda’s DNA that they’ve become a part of one of the winery’s prestige flagship releases.

To mark the 30th anniversary of Barolo Serralunga d’Alba (the first commune-designated Barolo bottling), each new vintage of Fontanafredda’s Serralunga d’Alba — from the 2018 release through the 2028 release — will sport one of these themes and carry a unique label drawn by local Italian artists.

A decade of artistry, alongside their larger "Green Renaissance" initiative and unwavering commitment to their people, demonstrate that Fontanafredda is a singular name in Barolo — and wine — to keep watching.