Planet O-live Academy on the right track with Costa d'Oro
Launched in 2022, Planet O-live Academy is a scientific program initiated by Costa d’Oro, an Avril business unit and the leading Italian producer and distributor of quality olive oil.
This program works in collaboration with Italian agricultural associations, under the scientific direction of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa and the University of Perugia.
The objective is to ensure that the best practices of environmental, economic, and social sustainability are accessible to all, in order to enhance the value of the entire sector, to
encourage circularity of production, and to continuously improve the quality of products.
How does the Planet O-live Academy project address Costa d’Oro’s strategic challenges?
The Planet O-live Academy project is a reflection of Costa d’Oro’s long history and commitment to the olive oil industry. Olive oil is a noble, healthy, and age-old product, produced by a community of enthusiasts that must continue to evolve in a beautiful and beneficial way. By means of this project, acting as a catalyst, we are also expressing the commitments
linked to our purpose, Serving the Earth. In developing local supply chains, with regional suppliers and a range of products with protected designation of origin (PDO)1 certification. With virtuous agricultural practices protecting the environment and landscapes; with a collective vision and an action plan benefiting all stakeholders.
What are the first milestones since the launch of Planet O-live in 2022?
We maintain close contact with universities working with experts on improving olive cultivation practices, reducing the use of pesticides, managing such a rare and precious resource as water, identifying the best harvesting period, as well as recovering neglected olive groves for revaluation. We also established close ties with the ASSOPROL UMBRIA association, which brings together 800 olive growers, and the CONFAGRICOLTURA association, which represents 400,000 agricultural enterprises, 80,000 of which are involved in olive growing. Together we agreed on the vision and mission of the project, to move forward in 2023, especially on the selected pilot projects and dissemination programs.
(1) Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP), Italian equivalent of the protected designation of origin (PDO) label
Why are you involved in the Planet O-live Academy project?
What is interesting for us, as olive growers, is being supported along a path of sustainability. Environmental sustainability, but also social and economic sustainability. To better prepare the future of our olive groves, in Umbria in my case, and at the national level for the Academy. I strongly believe we need to work on better
preparing for the future by changing our practices, especially regarding the harvest.
What changes do you hope to bring about through this program?
Change is constant in agricultural enterprises, but it must come faster. Thirty years ago, which is my age, olive groves provided a sustainable income although harvesting was a challenge. These ancestral practices have gradually been lost. We are pleased to be able to draw on the knowledge of the Planet O-live Academy. The Academy takes a scientific approach towards changing our farming practices and making better use of the co-products of oil pressing, such as water. The Academy is actively working to transform it into a new resource, as this water remains very rich in polyphenols, noble antioxidants that can be used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, allowing our business to develop in a holistic and sustainable way, both environmentally and economically. It is our hope that the Planet O-live
Academy outreach program will help bring us closer to consumers, making them more aware of the value created by farmers.