Maria Iris Bertarelli, mother of Ernesto and Dona, spent her early years in Tunisia, where she studied the arts. In 1964 she married Fabio Bertarelli, living together in Rome, then Switzerland and the United States.
She devoted a great deal of her time – and continues to do so – to causes and issues that are close to her heart. Between 1984 and 1999 she was President of ASBV (L’Association des Services Bénévoles Vaudois), while today she is a Board Member of the Bertarelli Foundation, which was founded in 1998 in memory of her husband. Together with her brother, Claudio Tipa, she also founded and runs the Fondazione Bertarelli, which works to promote and protect the cultural and social development of the Province of Grosseto and the region of Tuscany in Italy.
Now a beloved grandmother of six, she lives in Gstaad, Switzerland, although she also spends time in Italy, where she and Claudio run the Colle Massari vineyard and estate, located in the foothills of Monte Amiata, in the south of Tuscany. Colle Massari was recently named as ‘Wine Producer of 2014’ by the prestigious Italian wine guide, Gambero Rosso wine guide.