Dove nasce la Rizza.
Lago Grande Ganzirri Società Cooperativa.
Sixty members. Four generations of families who live from this lake. A historic Messina entity that preserves the shellfish farming tradition in Lake Ganzirri — and chose MA.RU. as its bridge to the world.
60 members
Four generations
President: Salvatore Ruello
V.P.: Lillo Mangraviti
Daily Fresh Kitchen
Not a company. A community that has worked together for centuries.
The Lago Grande Ganzirri Cooperative brings together the shellfish farmers of Lake Ganzirri. Sixty members, each with a family history tied to the lake, all united by the same unwritten rule: the lake is respected, farmed and defended — because it’s the only thing that guarantees there’ll be something left to farm tomorrow.
MA.RU. srl doesn’t exist without the Cooperative. And the Cooperative finds in MA.RU. the voice that carries its story beyond the lake.
President · Co-founder MA.RU. srl
Ing. Salvatore Ruello
Civil engineer, highly respected in Messina. CEO of AMAM SPA — the company managing Messina's water supply. At the helm of the Cooperative he brings engineering rigour, long-term vision, and the ability to build lasting structures. He introduced the blockchain traceability protocol.
Vice President · Co-founder MA.RU. srl
Letterio (Lillo) Mangraviti
Fourth generation shellfish farmer from Ganzirri. Four generations means Lillo's great-grandfather was in the water with rakes before the twentieth century began. Founding member of the Cooperative, Pro Loco Capo Peloro member, tourism entrepreneur.
Board Member
Pasquale Arena
Multi-generation shellfish farmer and retail mollusc trader — knows the product from both production and sales sides. His presence ensures Cooperative decisions account for market realities.
Everyday Freshness
Sixty families. One lake.
Behind the Cooperative are sixty members — sixty families whose history is intertwined with Lake Ganzirri. They are not employees, not investors: they are people who work the lake by hand, who know every square metre of the lake bed. Sixty ensures this tradition is not in the hands of one or two individuals — it is distributed, rooted, resilient. The Cooperative protects these sixty: negotiates market prices, manages lake zone assignments, ensures farming practices respect the ecosystem.
KITCHEN ALWAYS OPEN
Why the Cooperative exists.
The Cooperative sets farming rules, harvestable quantities, lake bed rest periods. Not because someone imposes it from outside: because the sixty members know that if they overexploit the lake today, there will be no lake tomorrow.
Alone, a farmer has little bargaining power. Together, sixty have a voice. The Cooperative negotiates prices, defends rights, represents members in institutional settings.
Manual shellfish farming is a recognised ethno-anthropological heritage. The Cooperative works to ensure this tradition is not smothered by mechanisation.
Daily Fresh Kitchen
The Cooperative produces. MA.RU. tells the story and distributes.
MA.RU. srl doesn’t replace the Cooperative — it represents it to the world. MA.RU.’s products come from the Cooperative’s collective work. The blockchain certifying every batch is built on the cooperative supply chain. Buying from MA.RU. means supporting sixty Ganzirri families, a four-century tradition and a lake that deserves to be protected.
Daily Fresh Kitchen
Know the Cooperative. Support the lake.
The most direct way to support the Cooperative's work is simple: buy MA.RU.'s products, come to Ganzirri, choose consciously. Every tray is the result of sixty families' work.