An entrepreneurial project born from the idea of a mother and daughter after a moment of crisis. Citrus enhances Italian and seasonal fruit and vegetables, also communicating the importance of prevention through nutrition
The one of Citrus it's a good story. A story of failure and rebirth, of complicity between a mother and a daughter, a story of strength, perseverance and entrepreneurial creativity by two women. But above all Citrus means Italian fruit and vegetables is Seasonal, minor varieties rediscovered and precious for health, ethical and controlled supply chain crops, social agriculture, support for scientific research, sustainable packaging.
A difficult moment transformed into an opportunity
The project was born in Cesena in 2015 from the experience in the fruit and vegetable sector of Paola Pappalardo and from the passion of the daughter Marianna Palella for marketing, communication and graphics, but in reality it all begins much earlier, when the family business does not stand up to the economic crisis of 2008. "We are born from the desire to transform a difficult moment into an opportunity – says Marianna – When we lost everything, my mom and I started talking a lot, in long phone calls of self-criticism and reflection. Unbeknownst to us, those chats were brainstorming where we looked for ideas for innovate a sector, the fruit and vegetable sector, which has always remained the same and to communicate in a new way the importance of consuming fruit and vegetables".
The rediscovery of the verdello lemon
The first intuition was to enhance the lemons of Sicily throughout the year, offering them not treated on the surface and in theirs three different blooms. One of these is the green lemon, a summer lemon, small and green in color, little known and, indeed, often confused with an unripe fruit or a lime. "The absurdity is that in Sicily the verdello was left to rot on the plants because the sale did not cover the production costs, preferring instead a foreign lemon which, in counter season, offers large and yellow citrus fruits ”. Immediately then, Paola and Marianna find in Umberto Veronesi Foundation an ideal partner for their project: "We did not want to limit ourselves to saying to consume fruit and vegetables: through our products we immediately wanted to sensitize consumers about a healthier food culture. Our citrus fruits are in no way treated on the surface so that they can be grated and enjoy the precious molecule in peace. D-Limonene contained in the peel ".
Bergamot enters a supermarket for the first time
The verdello lemon of Citrus the Italian Garden accompanied by this educational communication was so successful in supermarkets that it was decided to expand the range of products: "By pure chance, during one of our production trips, we came across the Calabrian bergamot, a wonderful citrus fruit that immediately made us fall in love with its intense fragrance and multiple beneficial properties. The bergamot, also known as the green gold of Calabria, it had never been marketed in supermarkets (there was not even a code to identify it!). We thus began to rediscover it, enhancing its rich presence in flavonoids, which promote the cardiovascular system and the regulation of cholesterol. With this operation we have contributed in our small way to favoring the economic development of the territory ".
Support for producers and research
Citrus l'Orto Italiano products come from ethical and controlled supply chains that operate respecting the environment using farming methods such as integrated pest management, organic, zero residue (new entry is the line of legumes and cereals). The producers are gathered under the Agricultural cooperative The Leaves which allows Citrus to support the social agriculture project, capable of generating and redistributing value along the entire supply chain, starting from a fair remuneration of the production base.
Since its birth Citrus has decided to spontaneously donate gods funds to support scientific research promoted by the Umberto Veronesi Foundation: in 4 years of activity, 32 researchers were financed through one-year scholarships. "A special initiative of which we are exclusive partners is Lemons for Research that this year in just two weeks, despite the Covid-19 emergency, has allowed us to raise 240 thousand euros for scientific research ".
Smart and sustainable peaches
The latest product launched by Citrus is the yellow pulp peaches and the nuts peaches nectarines proposals in a smart and sustainable packaging, ideal to carry with you in your bag or backpack: "This product combines the practicality and sustainability of the tasteful packaging by offering the fruits at the right degree of ripeness, ready to be eaten. The packaging is environmentally friendly and made only of FSC certified paper. Being a project that starts from the Earth, we cannot but love and respect it ”.
Looking to the future, generational exchange and positivity: the ingredients of success
“We represent a market niche, but in our own small way we hope to make our contribution to the issues of prevention through food, environmental sustainability, fair pay to farmers. Consumers are changing and are increasingly sensitive, curious and informed, perhaps when we started this journey few were aware of it.
If we are here today I have to thank my mom for giving me confidence and space to act even if he did not always fully share my ideas and for giving me the opportunity to make mistakes, only to rush to remedy them. My message is from don't let yourself down, but to accept situations, even the most difficult ones, because from a moment of crisis, as is also the one we are experiencing now, many beautiful stories can be born, like ours! ".
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