by Paolo Bricco

Innovation doesn't always start in a garage. The story (too little credited) of innovation —not just ofEmilia Romagna but of Italy as a whole — can sometimes start in a rabbit hutch like it did for Marco Astorri and Bio-on, who set up his company in one nearBologna, seven years ago.

"When we launched the business , a few foreign players gave us our first push by providing exclusive use of five patents," said Marco Astorri, chairman of Bio-on. "They gave the rights to us, a brand new group, and not to a multinational in another country, because they recognized Italy's leadership in the natural fermentation of bacteria. And we actually didn't know that much about this area of specialization."

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Fonte: Italy24