Riet Vell

Organic farming in the Ebro Delta

Riet Vell is an organic food producer and retailer established in 2001 by SEO/BirdLife, one of Spain's leading environmental organizations. It grew out of a LIFE project conducted in the Ebro Delta from 1997 to 2000 to assess whether organic rice farming was viable. With backing from SEO/BirdLife members and other environmental nonprofits, the company acquired a 52-hectare farm in the delta and began growing organic rice.

Products from Spain's wetlands and farmland

• Organic Ebro Delta rice: grown on the company's own farm in one of the Mediterranean basin's most important wetlands.
• Organic durum wheat pasta from the Ebro Valley: made with wheat grown on dryland farms in ecologically valuable steppe areas.
• Organic legumes from the Castilian plains: grown near seasonal wetlands in La Mancha.
• Organic Ebro Delta salt: sea salt from salt pans that are home to one of the western Mediterranean's largest flamingo colonies.

Production and distribution

Riet Vell works in two main areas: farming, centered on organic rice at its Ebro Delta property, and marketing its products. It distributes from its own warehouse in Reus. Customers include buying clubs, catering companies and institutional kitchens, distributors, retailers, and direct-to-consumer shoppers through its online store.

Riet Vell is part of Mercado Social Aragón and takes part each year in social and solidarity economy fairs in Zaragoza, Barcelona, and Madrid.

Environmental education and volunteering

At the Ebro Delta farm, SEO/BirdLife runs an ongoing volunteer program and environmental education and awareness activities. Contact for these activities: reservarietvell@seo.org or 616 290 246.

Offices and contact

• Office: Carrer de la Rioja, 33, 50011 Zaragoza. Phone: 976 25 48 18. Email: info@rietvell.com
• Registered office: Ctra. Amposta a Urbanización Eucaliptus, Km 18.5, 43870 Amposta, Tarragona.
• Fax: 976 37 33 08