“When, in March 2018, Mom and Dad asked me what I wanted as a graduation gift for my bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Technology,” he tells HuffPost, “I asked for—fully aware of what I was asking and that it would be a great sacrifice for them—a small piece of land to start an agricultural business.” And not just anywhere, but in Catania, on the slopes of Mount Etna, “a reality, a brand now recognized internationally.” It is right in the Etna Park, in Trecastagni, a small village twenty minutes from his home, that the land he chose is located. There, after building the fence and installing irrigation pipes, he planted oregano, chili peppers, mint, helichrysum, rosemary, sage, thyme, lavender, and saffron, the “crocus sativus” that was the focus of over a year of study and his thesis. “Initially, I thought about growing only saffron, but then I decided against focusing on a monoculture—it can be risky—and to diversify,” explains Roberto, who intends for his business to ideally combine past and future, tradition and innovation, roots and wings. He is blending his family’s history and experience—his grandfather worked the land on a plot that was later sold—with his current aspirations and future projects based on enhancing the culture and specialties of the local territory.
Even “Sari,” the name he chose for the small company created just over a year ago, is a tribute to his land. “With this term, the Dominican friar, Tommaso Fazello, struck by the beauty of the places around Etna, defined the volcanic rock stones in his 16th-century descriptions of Catania,” he explains. From the plants grown on his land—dried, ground, and bagged in a space he rents in Trecastagni, which he defines as “an agro-herbal processing workshop”—Roberto derives flavorings for meat and fish and for seasoning jams made from fruits typical of the Etna area, such as the coscia pear or the cola apple, the most widespread among the four original eighteen varieties of apples grown on the slopes of the Sicilian volcano.
In the “Sari” laboratory, there are still few machines; work is done mainly by hand, and in the summer, when the workload becomes heavier, even his mother Marisa, a Latin and Greek teacher, and his father Cosimo, an accountant, roll up their sleeves to help. The company logo and the packaging and presentation methods were designed by Aurelio Viva, a graphic designer also from Catania. “A friend who, unfortunately, will soon be leaving for work,” Roberto sighs, without hiding his intention to involve other young people in the venture. For some time, for example, he has been in contact with a guy who works at the FAO, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. “He speaks four languages; I would like to entrust him with the entire communication and advertising campaigns, especially those aimed abroad,” he says quietly. Among the goals of the agricultural entrepreneur, who recently started e-commerce and would like to launch new packaging for spices at Easter—“with completely eco-sustainable packaging, something not yet on the market”—is to make his products known abroad. And, furthermore, to manage “Sari” by segmenting the various branches of the activity, each to be entrusted to a young professional, “selected based on their curriculum references.” Talent, study, merit, commitment, and continuous updating are also needed to relaunch agriculture, “which is no longer that of our grandparents,” reasons Roberto. “Today, it’s unthinkable to grow produce in the countryside to go and sell at the market. Consumers are better informed, and you cannot improvise. You have to study, be prepared at an agronomic level, and know the crops, also in relation to climate change.”
His words recall the “Fridays for Future” movement and the themes of the student movement born from Greta Thunberg’s activism against political indifference toward the environmental crisis. “I was born in ’95; mine is the generation of lightning-fast internet, raised with cell phones in our hands,” says Roberto. “Personally, also looking at many of my peers, I notice a certain desire to escape this digital system; I record a ‘counter-trend’ toward the land, nature.” A trend he embodies, he knows. He remained here, where he wants his children to be born and raised, “even though starting a family requires a stability I don’t have yet,” he says. And a moment later: “It is the right choice, staying to build a business in this land that has unique historical-cultural traditions and a vast food and wine heritage. I say this with the awareness that it is not simple, for many reasons.” The young entrepreneur cites the bureaucracy, “which does not help,” and then recounts “a strange event: I had my advertising banner displayed and I found it slashed. Who knows, perhaps it was out of spite.” It is impossible not to refer, when talking about business and development in Sicily—though it is not just a Sicilian issue—to the presence of the mafia. Roberto has thought about it: “If they were ever to come ‘tuppuliari’ (knock), I don’t want to be afraid. The mafia is fought with culture, and we young people must prevent these realities from taking root. I haven’t had such experiences, and I address problems as they arise, but I believe that if and when it happens, one must report it and rely on the Institutions. If they exist, they must also function.”
But when they struggle to intervene, one must equip oneself to act: in July, with the Catania “Legambiente” circle and 150 volunteers, he organized a day to clean waste from the Trecastagni woods—“unfortunately, the Etna area is full of illegal micro-landfills, and the institutions are unable to keep it clean. As in all things, to get results, it is necessary to network.” A rule that also works on the professional front. “In October, I brought together twelve Sicilian producers under 30 at the company. Together, we can create change. I am not the only crazy one who stayed and wants to grow his business here,” Roberto explains again, and it is clear that his dream is not yet fully realized. Now he is working to start a collaboration with a colleague who will put his land at his disposal—“he will be my official supplier”—and who knows, he might start growing vines to also produce wine. “It has always been a goal of mine; I have a very beautiful memory of the harvest on my grandfather’s land, but to do that requires economic resources that I currently lack,” he adds. “However, the aromatic plants are not a plan B; the sector is growing, I am convinced of my choice, and starting with little is advisable—you understand better the steps to take one by one.” Among the next ones, for Roberto, is his master’s degree. “Within this year I want to finish,” he says decisively. “Balancing study and business will be tough, but I expect more important results than those achieved so far to carry forward my project.” Always with his gaze on the future and his feet firmly planted on his land.
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