2009 Salute to Baldwin Families:
Bertolla Family

2009 - 59th Fair


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Submitted by Alexander A. “Andy” Bertolla A.A. Bertolla Farms and Bertolla Farm Supply, Owner Both resting on the foundation of a single family farm established in 1902 by Alessandro Bertolla, A.A. Bertolla Farms, with farms in Belforest and Loxley and Bertolla Farm Supply in Robertsdale, play a continuing part in the agricultural history of Baldwin County. These businesses operate under Bertolla family ownership and management. Alessandro Bertolla, a native of the Tyrolean region of Austria (now northern Italy), immigrated to the United States in 1890 and worked as a miner in the iron mines of the Mesabi Range in Minnesota. He became an American citizen in 1898. In 1902, Alessandro moved to Baldwin County with his wife, Rosa Giuliani Bertolla and his young family. Alessandro's sister Maddelena had married a man named Angelo A. Corte and also lived in Minnesota. She and her husband had earlier joined the growing Italian community in Baldwin County, Alabama in the late 1890's. Maddelena encouraged her brother Alessandro to move his family to Belforest where he began farming and reared his 11 children. Alessandro's oldest son Louis entered the United States Army during World War I, serving in France. He returned to civilian life with the idea that the family would expand the farming operation to include shipping produce from Baldwin County to the large markets in the north. Produce harvested in early summer would find ready acceptance in the north well ahead of the harvest in that area. The Bertollas undertook shipping a carload of Irish potatoes north in 1921, with the car consigned to a distributor in Detroit. They shipped the entire carload risking spoilage en-route because of potatoes being very perishable. The car arrived without spoilage and this led to the expansion of the family farming operation into the produce shipping business. This later grew to include shipping of cucumbers, sweet corn and sweet potatoes. Baldwin County played a significant role in providing produce for markets throughout the northeastern states. The partnership which included Alessandro and his sons, Louis, Angelo, Alex, Rudolph, and John, continued in the produce shipping business for sixty years. Early in its history, A. Bertolla & Sons began to provide a wide range of services to the growing agricultural industry in Baldwin County. The partnership sold seed, fertilizer, and pesticides to the farmers. At harvest, A. Bertolla & Sons became a cash buyer of potatoes and various other crops. The produce came into their packing sheds in Loxley, Robertsdale and Summerdale from late April through September where it was processed for shipping and loaded onto rail cars or trucks for transport to the northern markets. The business paid the farmers based on market prices and then handled the processing, shipment and marketing of the produce. Alex Bertolla took the dominant role in management of the business after the death of his older brother Louis in 1941. He made buying trips to North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in late Fall to purchase and arrange delivery of seed Irish potatoes. Deliveries came in late Winter for distribution to farmers for planting their new crops. Another key contributor to the successful operation of A. Bertolla & Sons was Alex's sister, Viola, who served as office manager. Bertolla Farm Supply became a subsidiary of A. Bertolla & Sons in the mid 60's, primarily dealing in agricultural chemicals and seed. The main crops of the farming operation over the years have been potatoes, corn, soybeans, cotton, peanuts and pecans. For a period of time they owned and operated a cotton gin in Loxley. Raising cattle and hogs was also a significant part of the business. Alexander A. “Andy” Bertolla, grandson of founder Alessandro, now owns A.A. Bertolla Farms, the farming operation, and Bertolla Farm Supply, Inc. located in Robertsdale. A.A. Bertolla Farms is currently raising cotton, peanuts, pecans and cattle. Andy's two cousins, Adam and Ray Bertolla (great grandsons of founder Alessandro), are the farm managers of the Loxley and Belforest farms. Andy is proud of the fact that Bertolla Farm Supply is now serving second and third generation of farmers in the Baldwin County agricultural community. Editor’s Note: This article highlights the history of the Bertolla Family in retrospect of early settlers/farm families who came to Baldwin County in search of rich farm land. The family has been an integral part of the growth of agriculture for more than 100 years.
Andy Bertolla