Oxen project
Think outside the (b)ox
We want to give oxen a space again in a region where they have largely lost it. Here these animals, which are considered of no usefor the dairy industry, are not brought to foreign fattening farms, thus becoming part of mass meat production, but live outdoors for several years all year round, which is unique for an Alpine region like Alto Adige.
For some years now, we have been working together with the organic cheese dairy Englhorn from Val Venosta. Together we bring oxen from the alpine pastures to our vineyards every year after the summer, where they can also find grass in winter thanks to the warmer climate. The animals live outdoors all year round, ensuring more diversity and fertility in the vineyard and helping us to come closer to the ideal of the closed cycle.
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On-farm Slaughtering
The oxen, which belong to the typical Alto Adige breed Original Braunvieh and Grauvieh, spend three to four years on the alpine pastures and in the vineyards and are slaughtered close to the farm. During the on-farm slaughtering – carried out by master butcher Alexander Holzner from Lana – the animals remain in their familiar environment so that their demise is free of fear and stress. The gentle slaughtering completes the approach of organic, near-natural and species-appropriate farming. We offer the organic meat of these oxen in our Paradeis Restaurant.