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Azienda Agricola Perniola: from the social oil mill to Apulian Store, the story of a century of love for the land.
Talking about organic farming today may seem obvious, and in some cases it even leads to discussions that question the practices and genuineness of the products. Yet, as with any growing practice, chasing data, analysis and statistics, most of the time we forget the principles that inspire certain choices.
It happens that we are surprised by the reality for which organic is not a choice determined by funding, market or regulations . Rather, it has been a practice that started naturally from the beginning, understood as the only possible way to remain in dialogue with the land , its resources and its history.
This is the case of the Maria Franca Perniola Agricultural Company , whose lands in the Casamassima countryside (Bari) have belonged to the family since the early 1900s .
«It was in that period that the first harvest of our oil dates back – they explain – which in a short time led to the need to have an oil mill».
A need that, thanks to the commitment of the same family, gave the town in the south-east of Bari its first social oil mill , where for decades families and landowners have seen their own oil being born, benefiting from the possibility of starting their first commercial practices.
"This is how our business began. Since the last century, in addition to olives, we have continued to produce wine grapes and almonds , always following, up to today, the cultivation principles that today come together under the label of "organic"".
But why a similar choice, maintained even when the first chemical products began to appear on the market, guaranteeing ever-increasing product volumes?
«Because we have always done it this way, aware of how certain practices can give the fruit a unique flavor and the land a sustainability that ensures its long life».
It is no coincidence, therefore, that over time the Azienda Agricola Perniola has become a case of excellence not only at a local level. In 1997, in fact, with the Savegrain Puglia project of the CNR, the same company became the custodian of Biodiversity of ancient legumes, olive cultivars in danger of extinction and grains such as Senatore Cappelli.
«It is an ancient grain that we have been producing for more than forty years».
This, together with the uniqueness of the EVO oil and many other products, have given the agricultural company the opportunity to grow, leading to the current experience of Apulian Store , a Puglian company that combines the genuineness of family management with the constant promotion of synergies, in order to always find new formulas for organic cultivation .
"The comparison with scholars and agronomists is daily. Our goal is to safeguard the health of our land. Thanks to the grassing with legume and melliferous species, for example, we are able to lower the soil temperature in hot periods, avoiding excessive evaporation phenomena. All this while trying to maintain what grows naturally there , which is the main element capable of offering unique flavors to our products."
Thus, the choice of organic is no longer a matter of calculations or forecasts of economic convenience.
In the case of Apulian Store, organic is simply the continuation of a choice that has embraced traditions , flavors and care for one's land for more than a century.
