INTRODUCTION

TENUTA CIRRINCIONE was established in 2012 by the  Salvatore, Mariangela and Alfonsa Cirrincione, three siblings united in the decision to give a new course to their family company, each contributing with their own wealth of experience and knowledge:

• Salvatore, a skilled worker, is the pillar of the company, responsible for production where he makes use of years of experience in the sector, dealing with business planning, crop management, crop improvement and harvesting.


• Mariangela is a practicing lawyer in Palermo, the legal representative of the company and deals with finance and administration;


• Alfonsa, with years of experience in the news field is the head of communication and business.

A large part of the company deals with fruit, particular pears, while the rest concentrates on growing vegetables, almonds, prickly pears, aromatic herbs and some of the seasonal produce at the foundations of the Mediterranean diet.

Since 2020, thanks to supporto of specialised labs, the company has undergone a transformative processo from traditional to certified organic products, such as:

• Pears and wine, inspired by Italian regional traditios, but with all Mediterranean essences,

wrapped in a high quality Nero d'Avola,is an excellent appetiser or an after-hour dessert served cold or slightly heated for a mulled wine effect;

• Extra pear jam, rustic, but naturally delicate, very fragrant, i san excellent breakfast companion as well as ideal  filling for cakes and croissants a base flavour for cream, ice cream or cheese;


• Pears in syrup, a full-bodied and fragrant fruit integration for every season;


• Datterino tomato sauce, from tomatoes grown in siccagno, as homemade, dense, full-bodied, ready to use;


• Home-made Siccagno Tomato sauce.

Having spent a decade in Venice for study and work-related reasons, the Cirrincione sisters have recently returned to their homeland where they to reinvest the skills set they  learned in an industrious and prosperous land.

SUSTAINABILITY

In terms of enviromental sustainability, the company abides by organic agricolture norms: "We are convinced that organic farming is not a result of modernity, but that it is written in the natural code and in the history of man producing the best food for himself and for his children. It is an act of rediscovery The method involves the use of renewable resources, natural fertilisers and processing techniques that improve the structure of the soil in harmony with the natural cycles, and  unmodified seeds with a preference for ancient varieties”.

The conversion path towards organic is long and burdensome: “It is good to underline - explains Mariangela – that companies today are experiencing deep liquidity crises and conversion requires an initial investment with 'deferred' results. It is a bet”.

Since 2020, the Cirrinciones have tried the transformation card to avoid “being slaves of time and price, in a sector where we are subject to many dangers, first of all, the climatic ones". Although, “The conversion to organic has finally allowed us to sell fresh products within a more acceptable market logic, even if the sector still has a lot to improve " says Salvatore, while outlining the unresolved issues of the Sicilian agricultural sector.

Tenuta Cirrincione also combines economic and social sustainability by adding many collaborators and professionals to their core family structure: “Our company would not exist without the qualified support of our agronomist and our consultants who follow us with professionalism, patience and competence ".

TRADITION AND INNOVATION

Salvatore explains how "in the company we operate traditionally, in the most traditional sector of all", aiming towards the rediscovery of ancient crops, such as the thigh pears (it. pere cosce), we retrieve long-bygone methods to make new produce “which is nothing else than the ancient natural code returning", adds Mariangela.

 “We have combined tradition with innovation in many ways. From sustainable packaging made by hand in limited editions using the fabric in various always very welcome patterns, to the author's labels inspired by Sicilian embroideries, input this well interpreted by our designer Daniela De Vita "explains Alfonsa. “Our goal is to convey a non-stale image of the South, rejecting the obvious representations. Sicily is much more”. The Cirrinciones are all for smart innovation: "we realised that for the marketing of such an intensely cultural product, direct sales supported by storytelling make it more sense than a cold e-shop which, at the moment, we are avoiding. Secondly, we launched synergistic co-marketing actions, combining our preserves with other local food and non-food products” the sisters say. Products are sold in the neighbouring city of Palermo in two retail outlets and, thanks to a highly qualified shipping company, throughout Italy, Germany, Fance and Belgium.

LANDSCAPE

"We would like our produce to respects nature and humans alike, returning to the tradition of the organic method and enhancing the enormous cultural heritage of the Mediterranean that is best expressed in its food", but not only. Tenuta Cirrincione believes in the protection of the rural landscape and plans to re-functionalise the ancient paths cutting across the property to make them the very arteries on which to tell visitors the story of their vegetable metropolis. The new company plants follow this plan, together with that of preventing hydrogeological instability.

VALUES AND STANDARDS

Tenuta Cirrincione is a member of Simenza - Cumpagnìa Siciliana Sementi Contadine, a 100+ business association focusing on biodiversity, short supply chains, regenerative agriculture and sustainable distribution.

SCALABILITY AND RESILIENCE

 “We aim for qualitative scalability. We want to exaggerate with craftsmanship, putting a lot of value in our products” Alfonsa points out. "For the future, we aim to increase crop diversification in line with the Community guidelines of the Common Agricultural Policy, aiming at niche productions".

"We do not know yet how to deal with the Covid-related economic crisis or, indeed other ones. Having started from scratch, we have lived and are living it all with gratitude. Our experience is not unique: there are those who do what we started before us and better than us. All virtuous businees are precious examples for us, even if we have obviously remodelled the business modelto make the most of our idea of agriculture and food. The fact that they customers appreciate us pays us back of our efforts and is quite humbling ”concludes Mariangela.