My name is Luca Guglielmi and I chose this path to continue the story of my family. I remember the days of gathering where everyone helped as much as they could. I, with my tricycle, on the other hand, was running around the recently picked trees. The return to the land is a path joined from several "agricultural colleagues" of my generation who, after gaining different experiences in multiple fields (economics, marketing, social and communication), decided to apply their knowledge in this sector, where these skills are desperately needed. So before focusing exclusively on Bottaccio, I developed experiences and skills in the field of graphics, design and web marketing. The area where I live mixes the sea with the countryside and is an ideal place to experience nature and therefore work in agriculture. Basically, the days are always different and shared between the work in the fields and the more strictly office work. The team has been divided according to the needs of the various business sectors, the work in the fields among the maintenance and the harvest is the most important part. In small groups we also deal with the packaging, bottling and storage of products. Other people are in charge of the development of the commercial and web network. So cultivation, production and sale follow this small scheme, living in symbiosis, creating a direct chain from the earth to the table. Also thanks to CrowdFarming we want to make our small great product known throughout Europe, a very difficult but ambitious effort for our reality.

The farm is called "il Bottaccio" and takes its name from the area where our farm is located, Bottaccio, in the municipality of Venturina Terme (LI). In the area called "palmentello", where the olive grove is situated, there are large numbers of fields mainly cultivated with olive trees, vines and artichokes. The Venturina area is well known for these three products that make a huge socio-economic contribution and attract food and wine tourism. Our story begins with Ermelindo in 1925, Luca's grandfather. The family used to meet very early in the morning to take care of the trees and prune them perfectly in order to get them ready for the next harvest. Ermelindo often used to enjoy a summer dinner with his family under the trees and, on the large table, the main element of Mediterranean cuisine could not be missing: olive oil. It is a story that started 4 generations ago and continues with Ermelindo's nephew and current owner: Luca, me. I wanted to modernize the organization and production structure of the company, always keeping an eye on the past and the purity of the flavors, so that the oil can survive and continue to satisfy the palate of future generations and all those who want to experience this little journey through our history. Also for this reason, with the generational change of the family in my company, and always following the principle of purity that connects me to this land, I wanted to communicate these aspects also through the style of our products adapting it to new trends, such as higher quality and greater attention, sensitivity to organic and environmental sustainability procedures. An image of the finished products and the company best suited to a modern perspective. Our plants need approximately 30/40 liters of water every 10 days. The necessary water is tapped into a well in our farm and we distribute it to all plants through a drip irrigation system, a method that allows us to significantly reduce the waste of water. The farm is 90% organic and a remaining 10% is in conversion in order to become completely organic in 2021. The grass around the plants is mainly shredded to encourage biodiversity and the proliferation of beneficial insects, which can thus have spaces conducive to their growth. Unfortunately, renewable energy is not available yet, but is the path we want to follow in the next few years, with wind and photovoltaic energy. The team is composed of 8 men and 2 women and has been working together for a year. All the people of our team live in the area and they had already collaborated together in past working experiences. The working environment is really important to share a good development of ideas. Personally, I try to spend time with my workers and listen to them. Everything that is collected is processed. We make sure to distinguish the olives inside the oil in order to single out the different types of oil that are created by milling. Olives that are not really useful, luckily in small quantities, are chopped with the various scraps obtained from cultivation and pruning to be reused as organic substances. Concerning the waste generated by our packaging and bottling work, at the moment, we opted for the common recycling cycle.