Louis Marafioti
It takes leadership and dedication to create something really special.
Born in Torrensville, South Australia, Louis has always had a strong connection to the land and his community. From working on his parents’ market garden as a child to later establishing vineyards and an olive grove, his career has been shaped by both agriculture and water management.
After completing his education at Adelaide Boys High School, Louis spent 28 years with the Engineering and Water Supply Department (now SA Water), serving as both a draftsman and Water Works Inspector. In 1970, Louis planted his first vineyard at MacDonald Park and later managed a 16-hectare vineyard in Angle Vale. In 1994, he turned his focus to olives, planting 3,000 trees at Lewiston with recycled water from Bolivar, before later scaling down the olive farm and leasing the land for market gardening.
Beyond farming, Louis has dedicated time to his local community, serving as Chairman of the Angle Vale Primary School Council and contributing to the Virginia Irrigation Association and the Northern Adelaide Plains Food Cluster.
Outside of his professional and community work, Louis enjoys spending time with his wife Nella, their three daughters and their families. He is also a keen classic car enthusiast, proudly involved with both the Jaguar and Cadillac clubs.
LouWater is born.
After several unsuccessful attempts to bring more recycled Bolivar water to the horticultural land at Lewiston, Louis collaborated with John Gransbury to establish LouWater, a company that will expand recycled water access for local farms and boost employment in the region.
John is a civil engineer who has specialised in irrigation water supply systems for many decades, including the private pipeline schemes Bunyip Water (Barossa) and Willunga Basin Water (McLaren Vale). John and Louis are working together to develop and operate the LouWater scheme.
