Product quality, planning and a strong bond with the territory are the elements which Azienda Agricola Grassenio bases its work on.
The project was developed in the early 1990s, when a series of acquisitions led to the creation of a production company than now covers over 300 hectares.
In 2000, a processing and commercialisation facility was built for products destined abroad.
The man behind this project is Gaetano Grassenio, the founder of the company who sees typical local productions as the main asset for Sicilian agriculture.
"Our commitment and perseverance enables the company to gain the experience needed to tackle modern market challenges."
Today, with the help of his children Francesco, Emilio and Emanuela, the company produces and sells its fruit to numerous foreign countries, a testimony to its capability of working on the international market with high-quality niche products.
Francesco Grassenio (in the photo), who runs the company and is President of the "Ficodindia di San Cono" PO, explains that "we are very interested in anything we can do for our products - from processing to research - though, at the moment, we are focusing on promoting our products in locations where they are still unknown to increase our turnover."
To meet the increasing demand from the organic market, the company has implemented organic cultivation techniques and complies with the strict EU regulations. The following are available as organic: prickly pears (Agostani), prickly pears (late), prickly pear juice, almonds, shelled almonds.
Almond grove
Prickly pear juice
In the past few years, the company started an innovative diversification project centred on prickly pears from San Cono.
Fruits are carefully selected according to their size, variety and ripening stage and used to obtain a concentrated juice suitable to make fruit juice as well as soft drinks and spirits.
Prickly pear juice is a vital element of the strategy to widen the company's product range. The main objective is to maintain a leading position in the production, processing and commercialisation of prickly pears and derived products.
Prickly pear flowers
Since ancient times, prickly pear flowers have been known to have beneficial and therapeutic properties. They are used in a number of medicinal and herbal products and are mainly popular due to their diuretic action, though recent studies showed how they also have antispasmodic properties.
The company cares a lot about sustainability and combines its ambitious quality standards with elements typical of organic cultivation such as respect for the health of consumers and for the environment.
Contacts:
Azienda Agricola Grassenio
Via S. Allende, 30
95040 - San Cono (CT)
Tel.: 0933 1895299
Cell.: 333 1144483 - 360 299373 - 327 5520661
Fax: 0933 970049
Email: grassenio.fra@gmail.com