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.