Maria and Marco rebel against price blackmail and now use their milk to make their own products

Marco Melis e Maria Atzeni They were fed up. He had been a shepherd all his life, she was a hard worker at home and outside: they couldn't stand the constant blackmail with milk prices of their sheep, always on the decline. Furthermore, as soon as the sheep market fluctuated downward, they, the producers, were the first to be hit.

And so this courageous couple of owners of a wealth of 500 sheep He decided to take the leap, so as not to see his hard work and many sacrifices go to waste. He no longer just grazes, but also produces dairy products from their sheep's milk and sells them to the public. Zero kilometer, One of the solutions that are more popular with consumers today, who want guarantees on product quality and reasonable prices.

The milk from the 500 sheep that graze in the Sant'Andrea Frius area, about forty kilometers north of Cagliari, is no longer sold to anyone, and is processed directly by the Melis couple. A small but extraordinary artisanal dairy, called Pab'e`is tèllasa , where they sell you cheeses and other specialties of the company directly.

ALSO READ: Women shepherds, the mission of Sara, Renata, and Luana: they left the city and are dedicated to saving the sheep.

In the catalogue of products that come from the Melis sheep there are also very refined and rare specialities, if authentic, such as the “gioddu", The"married" and the "pirittas” . But first of all Marco and Maria managed to innovate, inventing a sheep's mozzarella, without preservatives, which has literally broken through on the market. Also because it allows even those intolerant to cow's milk to eat it mozzarella cheeseIn the small workshop in Sant'Andrea Frius, a quintal of it is produced per week, an unthinkable figure for areas like these.

"We have transformed a problem, the price pressures we had to endure, in an opportunity'” says Maria Atzeni. And she adds: “I know what my sheep eat, one by one. And consumers know what they find in my cheese, as the story comes directly from me. And they can trust me.” Meanwhile, the new generation of Melis has also settled into the shop, and zero kilometer, with Sonia, 25, and Adriano, 20. Who knows, maybe they will bring some other innovations to the high-quality cheese sector from here, protected by courageous self-selling against market distortions.

The cover photo is taken from the website of theAz. agr. Pab'è is tèllasa.

WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE: SUCCESS STORIES

Growing agriculture can save the South. Thanks to women and young people.

Young people and women in agriculture, over 7.500 new businesses. Doesn't that sound like a miracle to cultivate?

Seasonal work in agriculture, an important experience in a constantly growing sector.