A vacant mountain bakery in Val di Susa is set to reopen as a community milling project, driven by childhood baseball teammates and local artisans aiming to anchor their work in regional agriculture.
Alice Ambrogio, 30, teamed up with Pauline, Federico, and Damiano to launch Fermento, il Dolomiti reported. Federico and Damiano played baseball together growing up in the valley before taking different paths across Europe to learn traditional baking and farming.
The group took over a former bakery that closed in December after the previous owners retired. Ambrogio told il Dolomiti that the team recently finished masonry work to install a wood-fired oven capable of baking 90 kilograms of bread at once.
Total startup expenses for Fermento are estimated at circa 65mila euro. The founders are funding the project directly while managing all construction tasks themselves.
Ambrogio told il Dolomiti that the team plans to open by the end of November if construction stays on schedule. Delays could push the opening back to early January due to the holiday season and local market schedules.
To build local awareness ahead of the launch, the bakers have traveled to regional fairs since late September using a mobile oven. They also helped start the Avigliana farmers market in March of last year alongside Movimento Terra.
Fermento relies entirely on certified organic local supply chains and stone-ground whole or semi-whole flours. The bakery works exclusively with direct-fermentation sourdough, with a five-hour window from mixing to baking.
The founders partnered with local farmer Mauro Mascherone in Villar Dora to cultivate a unique grain mixture named Ercolino. Ambrogio told il Dolomiti that Ercolino is an evolutionary blend of seven ancient and modern wheat varieties designed to adapt to local soil and weather.
Additional flours and grains come from a miller in Cavour, a monococcum spelt producer in Priocca, and corn and Gentil Rosso wheat growers in Avigliana. All finished products are plant-based, featuring fruit and vegetables grown by the four founders or neighboring farmers.
The founders launched a crowdfunding campaign on Produzioni dal Basso with a goal of raising funds to help cover opening costs. Ambrogio told il Dolomiti that the campaign has already surpassed its halfway mark.
“The campaign has also a symbolic value: we wanted to start involving people right away in the birth of the project, giving those who share its values the opportunity to contribute concretely,” Ambrogio told il Dolomiti.
The team publishes Fermento Mag on their website to document their ingredient sourcing and milling practices. Ambrogio told il Dolomiti that community support confirms the bakery is growing into a shared neighborhood effort beyond just the four founders.
Worth a look
