Not coming from a rural background, Jorge Bortolato and Adrián Piris from Zárate became pioneers in truffle cultivation

Jorge Bortolato (62) and Adrián Piris (49), originally from the city of Zárate with no background in rural work, paradoxically became the pioneers of truffle cultivation in the Argentine Andean Patagonia. More precisely, in the "pampa" area of Mallín Ahogado, a charming place between Bariloche and El Bolsón, in the southwest of Río Negro province. Jorge indicates that to get there, one starts from Bariloche, and before entering El Bolsón, one must turn right. After passing through El Foyel, take Provincial Route 86 and you'll be in the "Rural Circuit of Mallín Ahogado". He details that once the asphalt ends, one must continue 700 meters on dirt road, where their venture, which they called "Trufas del Mallín Ahogado", is located on the same route. Jorge had worked in the chemical industry and had no rural experience beyond beekeeping with a few hives. But his father-in-law had been growing tulips in Zárate since the 1970s and had decided to alternate between there and Bariloche, ...