Farfalle nella testa

What Farfalle nella testa does

Farfalle nella Testa Soc.Coop. is an Italian cooperative society founded in 2013 and headquartered in Bordano, Udine (Friuli Venezia Giulia). It manages the Casa delle Farfalle di Bordano — Italy's largest butterfly house and one of the most important in Europe — operating a tropical greenhouse complex, the MUFFFA entomological museum (housing approximately 80,000 preserved specimens, primarily Lepidoptera and Coleoptera), and the Museo Tiere Motus in Venzone. The cooperative employs 11 people and runs a portfolio of sub-brands including PolliNation (pollinator-garden project), 4life (fair-trade framed butterfly specimens), G6 - Gioielli a 6 zampe (beetle exhibition), Eco&Notes (low-impact concert series with cooperative Slou), and LakeWays (a mobile trail guide around the Lake of Three Municipalities). It serves approximately 50,000 seasonal visitors and 8,000 school students annually, drawing groups from Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Trentino, Austria, and Slovenia.

The business makes money primarily through ticket admissions to the seasonally operated butterfly house and museums (open March–October), organized school tourism and inter-municipal educational packages, gift shop sales of ethically sourced butterfly specimens and publications, and an emerging cafeteria/catering line replacing earlier wooden kiosks. Distribution is direct-to-consumer at the physical site, supplemented by an inter-municipal school-tourism bundle with Comuni di Bordano, Venzone, and Gemona del Friuli, and an ESC/Erasmus+ volunteer pipeline (accredited since 2018) bringing young people from 18 countries. GTM is community-led and event-driven, relying on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, an email newsletter, and events such as the Eco&Notes summer concerts and the EUREKA fair appearance via Legacoop FVG.

Underlying technology is light: there is no proprietary platform, no e-commerce or online ticketing described, and the LakeWays mobile app is the only productized digital channel. Scientific and curatorial operations are supported by research collaborations with four Italian universities (Udine, Trieste, Padova, Ferrara) and by ongoing donations that have roughly doubled the MUFFFA collection within a year. The cooperative structure, multi-stakeholder mission (education, scientific dissemination, sustainable tourism, social inclusion), and grant-eligible volunteer hosting distinguish it from a typical commercial tourism operator.

Name

Farfalle nella testa

Legal name

Farfalle nella Testa Soc.Coop.

Website

https://farfallenellatesta.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Farfalle nella Testa is an Italian cooperative operating the Casa delle Farfalle butterfly house and MUFFFA entomological museum in Bordano, serving families, school groups, and tourists across Friuli Venezia Giulia with educational programs, exhibitions, and cultural events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nature Tourism & Environmental Education

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Museums (712110)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Nature Lodges & Eco-Resorts (THAAAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rainforest, Jungle & Canopy Experiences (THAJAIAE)

Keywords

• Butterfly house operations
• Entomological museum services
• Environmental education programs
• Scientific dissemination services
• Nature tourism experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Bordano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales and Visitor Admissions: Revenue from visitors to Casa delle Farfalle butterfly house, tropical greenhouses, and museums (MUFFFA, Tiere Motus). The facility is open seasonally (March-October) with daily admissions.
2. Educational Programs and School Tours: Revenue from organized school visits, educational labs, and inter-municipal school tourism packages combining multiple attractions in the Gemonese area.
3. Gift Shop Sales: Sale of butterfly specimens in decorative frames, publications, catalogs, and guides. The 4life project sells butterfly specimens sourced from ethical breeding programs.
4. Food and Beverage Services: Cafeteria and catering services mentioned as part of new facilities under construction. Previously operated through wooden kiosks, transitioning to full food service operations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Farfalle nella testa operates the Casa delle Farfalle di Bordano, Italy's largest butterfly house, providing tropical greenhouse visitor experiences, the MUFFFA entomological museum with over 80,000 specimens, and the Museo Tiere Motus earthquake memorial museum. The cooperative also delivers educational programs for schools, scientific research collaborations with four Italian universities, cultural events (Eco&Notes concerts), an outdoor pollinator garden (PolliNation), international volunteer hosting under ESC/Erasmus+ programs, and a gift shop selling ethically-sourced butterfly specimens under the 4life fair-trade brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MUFFFA: Museo delle FarFalle e delle FAlene - An entomological museum project and brand hosted at the Casa delle farfalle, inaugurated in 2020, dedicated to conserving, cataloguing, and studying entomological collections and disseminating knowledge about insects, particularly butterflies and moths.
• PolliNation
• 4life
• G6 - Gioielli a 6 zampe
• Eco&Notes
• LakeWays

Quantifiable outcome

• ~50,000 seasonal visitors served
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Slou (Cooperativa Slou)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Joint organization of Eco&Notes concert series and Estensioni Jazz Club Diffuso events at Ecomuseo Val del Lago. Slou is a cultural cooperative from the territory specializing in cohesion and social inclusion projects.
• University of PadovacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Recent collaboration added to research network, contributing to MUFFFA museum scientific activities.
• University of FerraracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Recent collaboration added to research network for entomological studies and collections cataloging.
• Legacoop FVGsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 October 2024Farfalle nella testa exhibited at EUREKA fair in Pordenone through Legacoop FVG collaboration with other regional cooperatives in CulturMedia sector.
• SemeNostrumsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in Venti di Scienze project, providing native seed production for pollinator-friendly plantings distributed to students and visitors.
• University of UdinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Research collaboration on entomological collections cataloging and scientific studies. One of several university partnerships for the MUFFFA museum.
• University of TriestecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Research partnership hosting internships, theses, and specific research projects. Active partner in Venti di Scienze scientific dissemination project.
• Comune di BordanocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Host municipality for Casa delle Farfalle. Collaborates on Campus Naturalistici summer camps and local events.
• Comune di VenzonecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in inter-municipal school tourism project. Hosts Museo Tiere Motus where Farfalle nella testa provides management support.
• Comune di Gemona del FriulisupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in inter-municipal school tourism program featuring walking tours of Gemona's historic center including Castle and Cathedral.
• Comunità di Montagna del GemonesesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration on Eco&Notes concert series for third consecutive year and broader Ecomuseo Val del Lago activities.
• Ecomuseo Val del LagocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-managed area covering three municipalities (Bordano, Cavazzo Carnico, Trasaghis) around Lake of Three Municipalities. Hosts Centro Visite and Eco&Notes events.
• Agenzia Nazionale per i GiovanicoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Accredited hosting organization for ESC (European Solidarity Corps) and Erasmus+ programs since 2018. Facilitates young volunteers from across Europe.
• ICYE (International Cultural Youth Exchange)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Worldwide program hosting international young volunteers at Casa delle Farfalle for cultural exchange.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm: One of Europe's longest-running tropical butterfly attractions in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, offering a comparable indoor tropical greenhouse experience with butterflies from around the world, educational programming, and similar visitor demographics to Casa delle Farfalle.
• Schmetterlinghaus: Indoor tropical butterfly house located within the Imperial Palace complex in Vienna, Austria. Operates a comparable tropical greenhouse with free-flying butterflies, museum-style exhibits, and serves a mix of tourists and educational groups — relevant cross-border European comparable.
• Papiliorama Kerzers: Tropical butterfly and animal house in Kerzers, Switzerland, operating year-round tropical greenhouses with butterfly species, educational tours, and a research-curatorial mission. Operates in a nearby Alpine region with similar multilingual European visitor base.
• Mariposario de Benalmádena: Large butterfly park on Spain's Costa del Sol featuring tropical butterflies, exotic birds, and a similar combination of indoor greenhouse attraction with museum-style exhibit elements; comparable in scale and tourist demographic.

Broad incumbents

• Butterfly Conservatory at Niagara Parks: One of North America's largest butterfly conservatories, located within the broader Niagara Parks tourism portfolio. Comparable in tropical greenhouse concept but part of a much larger government-managed tourism operation with greater scale and ticketing infrastructure.
• RHS Wisley Butterflies in the Glasshouse: The UK Royal Horticultural Society's flagship garden at Wisley includes a seasonal butterfly glasshouse as one attraction within a much broader horticultural destination; comparable in housing live tropical butterflies but operates at substantially larger scale and within a wider garden portfolio.
• Montreal Insectarium: Major insect-focused museum within Montreal's Espace pour la Vie biodiverse complex, featuring live insect displays, scientific collections, and educational programming. Comparable in the entomological museum dimension (akin to MUFFFA) but operates as part of a much larger civic scientific institution.

Regional players

• Parco Natura Viva: Italian zoological park and safari located near Verona with strong educational and conservation programming, including school visits and family experiences. Comparable as an Italian nature/zoo-based educational tourism destination serving school groups and families.
• Bioparco di Roma: Rome's historic zoological garden and a leading Italian animal-focused visitor attraction with educational programming. Comparable as a regional Italian zoological attraction with strong school tourism ties, though broader in scope (mammals, reptiles) rather than insect-specialist.

Others

• Ecomuseo Val del Lago: Partner ecomuseum spanning three municipalities around the Lago dei 3 Comuni and explicitly co-managed with Farfalle nella testa. Listed as a peer because of its overlapping cultural-ecotourism mission, school tourism programming, and shared Eco&Notes concert series in the same territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC...
• Facebookfacebook.com/farfallenellatesta
• Instagraminstagram.com/farfallenellatesta
• TikToktiktok.com/@farfallenellatesta
• Pinterestpinterest.com/farfallenellatesta
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farfalle-nella-testa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Farfalle nella testa