Imagine owning a small piece of Italy and opening your door to a delivery of fresh, artisanal olive oil. Nudo Adopt is an online retailer that offers consumers around the world the opportunity to adopt an olive tree in one of seven olive groves in the Italian countryside and receive shipments of fresh pressed extra virgin olive oil throughout the year.
Celebrating 10 years since its inception, Nudo Adopt represents the best aspects of the sharing economy. Buyers adopt a tree from the network of groves -- from Liguria to Sicily – and the adoption directly benefits artisanal producers and traditional farming practices, thereby protecting the beauty and culture of the Italian countryside.
Beyond its environmental and social benefits, Nudo Adopt produces high quality olive oil that is guaranteed extra virgin and loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. It is the ideal gift for the "person who has everything," travel lover, at-home chef or foodie. Adoptees can even go and visit their tree in Italy!
Who: Nudo Adopt is a collaboration of small-scale artisanal producers with groves located throughout Italy. Cathy Rogers and Jason Gibb co-founded the program in 2006 after they bought and restored an abandoned 21-acre olive grove in Le Marche. Since then 7 producers have joined the network from Sicily to Liguria, including Katharine Doré, director of Nudo, and her family who traded their metropolitan London life for an olive farm in the interest of their autistic son and his love of nature.
What: Nudo helps to give security to farmers by creating the link with the customer through the adoption of olive trees. The program is a platform for micro-producers to bring high-quality specialty food to a wider audience. This in turn helps to keep traditional faming practices alive and protects the countryside from intensive and destructive modern farming methods.
Adoption benefits range from 1 – 4 deliveries of high-quality olive oil per year along with 12-month ownership of an olive tree in Italy and 20% off online sales.
Adoption gift packages start at $79.
Where: There are currently seven groves in Italy that are part of the Nudo Adopt collaboration, each producing its own unique product.
• Bestagano -- set in the foothills of the Italian aps, Bestagno’s trees are clustered around the romantic ruin of Castell di Bestagno and produces Taggiasca olives.
• Il Fico – 300 olive trees cohabit at this farm along with plums, apricots, figs, pears, oranges, lemons and grapes. The grove is near Alcamo on the Trapanese coast of Sicily.
• Barone Pastore – Located just outside Alcamo on the Trapanese Coast of Sicily, this grove was once owned by powerful Baron Pastore, a prominent figure in 19th century Sicilian politics. The trees, now in their 80s are flourishing and the grove has views of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north and the Zingaro Natural reserve to the west.
• Aleandri – The lazy rolling hills around Offida are home to numerous vineyards growing the Pecorino grape as well as some of the best olive groves in Le Marche. Offida also has the best enoteca in the whole of the region, specialising in Le Marche wines. This is an organic grove.
• Natali – Ivano & Chiara Natali are the proud owners of a number of olive groves surrounding the medieval village of Civitanova Alta. They have trees of all ages, the oldest having been planted by their predecessors over 70 years ago.
• Zio Ciccino -- Located in the beautiful Val di Noto in southeastern Sicily, the land around the grove originally belonged to Agnese’s grandfather, Nonno Paulo. He divided it up between his 6 sons and 3 daughters, and this piece fell to lucky Uncle Francesco (nicknamed Ciccino). He planted the olive trees 20 years ago and they have flourished in the famed Sicilian sun. The grove is overlooked by Mount Renna to the north.
• Nonno Tato -- Located in the beautiful Val di Noto in southeastern Sicily, the land around the grove originally belonged to Agnese’s grandfather, Nonno Paulo. He divvied it up between his 6 sons and 3 daughters, and this piece fell Agnese’s father Guglielmo who planted the olive grove 35 years ago. The trees are now in the care of Agnese herself. Much of the olive oil they produce is bagsied for their family’s sott’olios, but Agnese has set aside 200 trees for adoptions. This is an organic grove.
How:
For yourself:
• Go online to nudoadopt.com
• Select Olive Oil and choose the number of deliveries
• Select your olive grove
• Nudo delivers to your door
As a gift:
• Go online to nudoadopt.com
• Choose a gift package
• Nudo Adopt send a welcome pack and adoption certificate describing the gift in detail
• Your friend or family member goes online to choose their grove
• Nudo delivers to their door
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About Nudo Adopt
Nudo Adopt is a collaboration of small-scale artisanal producers with groves located throughout Italy. The program helps to give security to farmers by creating the link with the customer through the adoption of olive trees. It is a platform for micro-producers to bring high-quality specialty food to a wider audience. This in turn helps to keep traditional faming practices alive and protects the countryside from intensive and destructive modern farming methods.