ABOUT US
The CHIANTI CASHMERE COMPANY really began way back in 1972, when Nora Kravis, the creator and founder, left Long Island for Italy and never looked back. With a Fine Arts degree in her pocket and a passion for all things four-legged, Nora studied Veterinary Medicine at the Università di Pisa and made a tumbled-down Tuscan farmhouse her home long before it was the place to be or the thing to do.
The first two goats tethered to a tree in 1988 have since, over the past 18 years, become the only herd of Cashmere goats in Italy, the source for a European genetic data base, and the fulcrum around which a series of agricultural and commercial activities now thrive. From a one-man (or rather, woman) enterprise, the CHIANTI CASHMERE COMPANY now employs two full-time employees on its Tuscan farm LA PENISOLA in Radda in Chianti, works in close cooperation with several soap manufacturers and gives work to over a dozen artisans, who work with the full range of natural, undyed fibers to produce handwoven textiles for the home and apparel market.
Kravis is currently working with several publicly funded groups to set up Cashmere Goat herds and in-house production of finished products by handicapped adults, and is setting up goat herds and working on a consultancy basis in both the public and private sector to promote the use of Cashmere goats as an environmentally friendly solution for reclaiming abandoned and under-used marginal farmland. 2006 has seen a surge of interest for Kravis's activities, and given the unique position of offering high-quality Cashmere produced entirely in Italy by a healthy herd, as well as garanteeing the transformation of the product from the Cashmere Goat all the way through to the finished product, what had been described as a crazy idea by a naive American, has turned into a profitable, sustainable small agri-business
In a time when small-scale agriculture, especially in Europe, is disappearing, L’AZIENDA AGRICOLA LA PENISOLA, home to the CHIANTI CASHMERE COMPANY, is an exception to the rule and is a success story for small enterprises.
The line of CASHMERE GOAT'S MILK SKINCARE products - created and formulated by Kravis, and constantly improved with the help of skincare specialists and dermatologists, as well as the hand-woven articles for the home and the person - are now sold internationally both on-line as well as through selected boutiques and shops.
The shop and showroom on the farm are frequented by visitors from around the world, who come, yes, for our products, but especially for our CASHMERE GOATS: the reason for it all!
CONTACT US...
Contact the Chianti Cashmere Company and Nora Kravis at:
Azienda Agricola La Penisola
Radda in Chianti
Siena 53017 - ITALY
Phone / Fax : +39 0577 738 080
info@chianticashmeregoatfarm.com