Left to right: Giuseppe Cataldi, Damiano and Francesco Ferraro. Partners of Terra d'Aromi Soul of Sicily.
Located in Giarratana (RG) at the foothills of Monte Lauro, it owns various plots at different altitudes (some 700 metres asl). The objective is to "convey the tradition, genuineness and uniqueness of the products the territory managed to safeguard."
"Our leading product is definitely saffron. We started with 30,000 bulbs on 4000 square metres and harvested over 1 kg of pure stigmas already in year two. We can now produce 2 kg by selecting the best largest bulbs year after year. Our second leading product is (dried) oregano, of which we produce around one ton every year."
Harvesting is only carried out after plant ripening has been assessed. Only plants meeting certain quality indexes are selected. The product harvested is then quickly transferred to processing warehouses to be dried.
Wild fennel
"Crop diversity keeps us busy the whole year round. Thyme is harvested in May, marjoram in June with coriander seeds, Sicilian oregano (O. onites) in July like chili peppers, while fennel seeds in late August, saffron in October/November. Rosemary, sage and mint are harvested when it's less busy."
Salvia officinalis in bloom
"We are about to apply for the organic certification so as to provide added value to final consumers. We are also considering becoming members of FIPPO (Italian federation of medicinal plant producers).
"Thanks to the ongoing success of our products, we are expanding. 30% of our production is sent abroad (northern Europe and Scandinavia) and most of it is shipped to northern Italy. Our main channels are H&R, e-commerce and delicatessens."
Contacts:
Terra d'Aromi Soul of Sicily
Via Pacini, 1 A
97010 - Giarratana (RG)
Tel.: +39 320 8051917
Email: info@terradaromi.it
Web: www.terradaromi.com