Viti-Tunnel

Viti-Tunnel, operated by the French company MO.DEL, provides a physical protection system for vineyards designed to mitigate risks from adverse weather and disease. The company was founded in 2016 by Patrick Delmarre, a former consultant in plant health, who was motivated by the increasing regulatory and societal pressures on viticulturists. Christophe Marange later joined him to help lead the company. The firm is headquartered in Le Haillan, France.

The core business revolves around the Viti-Tunnel, a patented, retractable covering that deploys over rows of vines. This system serves to protect crops from climatic hazards such as frost, hail, and scalding, and significantly reduces the incidence of rain-dependent fungal diseases like mildew and black rot. By creating a physical barrier against rain, the solution aims to lower the need for phytosanitary products by over 80%. The business model is centered on the sale and installation of this equipment to vineyard owners and operators. The price is estimated at around 60 euros per linear meter, targeting vineyards with higher-value wine production to ensure a viable return on investment. Key clients include renowned Bordeaux wine estates such as Château Quinault L'Enclos, Château Montrose, and Château Lafite Rothschild.

The product comes in two main versions: "Smart Protect," an automated, solar-powered system with sensors for rain and hail, and "Essential Protect," a manual version. The automated model can deploy or retract in under a minute without human intervention. The structure is designed for a 20-year lifespan, with the protective cover lasting for five years. After a five-year experimental phase across 12 Bordeaux properties under the supervision of the French Vine and Wine Institute (IFV), the concept's effectiveness was validated in 2022. The company secured €2 million in funding in June 2024 from Demeter to advance its industrial and commercial rollout, with plans to build a manufacturing facility in 2025. In early 2025, the French National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO) authorized the use of Viti-Tunnel on up to 5% of an estate's surface for production contributing to up to 10% of the final blend in AOC-designated areas.

Keywords: agritech, vineyard protection, crop cover, viticulture technology, frost protection, hail protection, mildew control, sustainable viticulture, pesticide reduction, retractable tunnel, automated crop protection, agricultural hardware, smart farming, climate resilience, vineyard equipment, MO.DEL, Patrick Delmarre, Bordeaux vineyards, wine growing innovation, crop disease prevention